Articles Posted in Injuries to Children

Officials with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have estimated that there were close to 20,000 injuries that involved holiday decorating in E.R. rooms across the country from November through December of 2012. Unfortunately, this is the fourth year in a row that the number of injuries has increased. Each year since 2009, there have been approximately 12,000 or more visits to the E.R. in the U.S. each season. Falling from a ladder and stepping on a broken ornament may be humorous when featured in a holiday film, but these incidents are real-life threats that result in thousands of E.R. visits every year.

Our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys understand that there are roughly 250 such injuries each and every day during the holiday season. When you make your list, and check it twice, you’ll want to make sure that ‘holiday safety’ is listed at the top. Last year, the most common visits to the E.R. resulting from holiday mishaps were because of falls, lacerations and back strains. But we can’t forget about fires. From 2009 to 2011, fire departments across the nation responded to an average of 200 fires each year resulting from Christmas trees. These incidents resulted in 10 fatalities, 20 injuries and more than $15 million in property loss. Candle-related fires were also a top concern throughout the year, resulting in about 70 fatalities, close to 700 injuries and more than $300 million in property loss from 2009 to 2011.
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We’re continuing the focus on back-to-school safety as kids head back to school and colleges return to class.

Whether they’re driving themselves or they’re taking the school bus, the month schools returns to session brings with it significant risks. And this is why officials with the National Safety Council (NSC) have partnered with First Student, the largest provider of student transportation services in North America, to share important safety information.

Millions of students will head back to school this fall, which is why now is a good time for parents and children to talk about school (and travel) safety.

Our Fort Myers accident lawyers understand that there have been more than 1,400 school transportation-related accidents since 1998. In these accidents, more than 1,560 people were killed. That’s an average of 142 fatalities a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). But we’re not just worried about those taking the bus. We’re also worried about those old enough to drive themselves to school. During this time of the year, teens face some serious risks for drowsy driving accidents. With their early wake-up times, they’re facing higher risks for an accident, too. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 11 to 17-year-olds need at least eight and a half hours of sleep nightly. Unfortunately nearly two-thirds of high school students get less than seven hours.

But there are things that we can do as parents and caregivers to help to make sure our children’s commute to school is as safe as possible.
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It’s getting here in Southwest Florida, and temperatures are only climbing as we reach the height of summer. With temps in the 90s, we’re up against some serious dangers, as 20 children have died of heat stroke from being left in cars so far this year in the U.S.

Last year, there were close to 35 children killed in these kinds of accidents.

Our Fort Myers child injury lawyers understand that the heating dynamics of our passenger vehicles are much different than those of other forms of transportation. The windows of our vehicles act at catalysts for drastic internal temperature increases. And our vehicles have a lot of windows. They let in a lot of sunlight and it’s absorbed and thus trapped inside our vehicles. Sometimes, the temperatures inside a vehicle can reach twice that of the temperatures outside.

And our young ones suffer the most when sitting inside. They actually heat up about four times fast than adults do, according to MSN.

What happens when someone suffers from heatstroke is their body reaches 104 degrees. At this point, the body goes into survival mode. If the body increases its temperature by just 3 degrees, then the cells of the body start to die. At this point, internal organs can start failing and death can happen shortly thereafter.

And this can all happen in a short amount of time. The temperature inside your car can rise by nearly 20 degrees in just 10 short minutes. In an hour or two, the temperatures can rise by nearly 50 degrees.

Children aren’t the only ones at serious risk. Our pets are in danger, too! They’re not as easily able to cool themselves off as adults. Each year, there are thousands of animals lost to heat stroke because they’re left in a hot vehicle.

But believe it or not — pets are better protected than our children by today’s laws.

Did you know that more states in the county have laws stopping individuals from leaving pets in their car than leaving children in cars? Currently, there are less than 20 states that have laws against leaving children unattended in a vehicle.

Thankfully, Florida is one of the states that has a law against leaving children unattended. Unfortunately, it’s not stopping the problem. Even the most loving and caring parents can forget to check.

Before you get out of your vehicle, lock up and walk away, make sure that you check the interior of your vehicle. Try leaving something important in the back seat (like a purse or a wallet) so you’re forced to actually go into the back seat before departing. You can try leaving reminders in the front seat too, like a stuffed animal, a picture or maybe a sticky note. Just make sure it’s something that’s going to remind you to look. If you happen to spot a child who is unattended in a vehicle, make sure you call 9-1-1 right away. If you notice a child in your home is missing, check the vehicle and the pool area first!
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Officials with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are reminding parents to make sure than they stabilize, or anchor, their furniture, television and appliances.

This move is to help to prevent a tip-over accident, which too often results in injuries and deaths involving some of our youngest family members. They most often happen when our children are reaching for something, like a toy, a remote or the TV buttons. They’re even using dressers and other large pieces of furniture to climb.

According to a recent release from the CPSC, there were close to 350 consumers (nearly 85 percent children under 9-years-old) who were killed from 2000 to 2011 in these kinds of accidents — when furniture or televisions toppled over on top of them. In 2011, we saw the highest number of these kinds of reports — claiming the lives of more than three dozen. In 2010, there were about 30 and in 2009 there were a little more than 25 fatalities reported. The total may jump even more as officials await better reporting standards.

Our Lehigh Acres injury attorneys understand that children don’t always consider or understand the dangers or the risks that are associated with what they’re doing. A child’s cognitive and reactive abilities may never alert them to the risks for a tip-over accident. That’s why it’s important for parents, as well as hotels, resorts, businesses, restaurants and other establishments, to make sure that their premises are safe for our youngest of residents. We all have an obligation to keep our little ones safe!

“We know that low-cost anchoring devices are effective in preventing tip-over incidents,” said Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman. “It takes just a few minutes to do and it can save lives.”

According to the CPSC, there are close to 45,000 consumers who are injured in these kinds of accidents each and every year. Close to 30,000 (or about 60 percent) of these injuries are experienced by children who are under the age of 18. Falling furniture accounts for about half of all of the injuries that are reported. Falling TVs have been proven to be the deadliest cause of these accidents, and they’re involved with more than 60 percent of reported deaths.

Our children are no match for a tumbling dresser. They don’t stand much of a chance against a 100-pound TV or even a wall unit. Children involved in these kinds of accidents oftentimes sustain serious injuries as a result of getting crushed or being trapped under a unit. In more than 55 percent of these fatal incidents and in close to 40 percent of the injuries, the child was hit in the head by the item that fell.

What has happened in many of our households is we’ve made the transition to smaller, flatter televisions, putting the older, bigger and heavier TVs in our children’s room or in guest rooms. Many times, they’re not properly mounted. About 40 percent of these accidents are reported to have happened in a bedroom while less than 20 percent happen in family rooms or living rooms.

There are even a number that are reported to happen outside of the home, like in hotels, resorts, restaurants and other businesses. We all have an obligation to secure these devices and keep our children safe.
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