Background
A teenager dove off a dock into a shallow water at a hotel resort while a friend recorded the act for a social media post. The teenager’s parents alleged that there was insufficient signage to inform the adolescent that diving into shallow water could lead to serious injury or death.
Our Approach
Rimkus experts applied developmental psychology and human factors expertise to understand and address the following topics:
- Adolescents’ perception and understanding of risks and hazards in various environments, including aquatic environments
- Adolescents’ heightened tendency to engage in risky behaviors
- How adolescents’ judgment and decision-making are influenced by context, specifically in the presence of peers
- The expected effectiveness of signage given the circumstances preceding the accident
Value Delivered
The Child and Adolescent Safety team conducted a comprehensive analysis of signage effectiveness and the circumstances surrounding adolescents’ risk-taking activities. We illustrated how psychological and environmental factors can impact behavior and translated these complex, developmental concepts into clear, relatable explanations for the jury. Our approach helped the jury understand why certain behaviors occur and how context plays a role in an adolescent’s decision to engage in risky behaviors.