Injuries to Children

Coalition aims to reduce teen car accidents in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida

December 17, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The National Safety Council has announced a partnership with Allstate Insurance that will establish a Florida coalition to promote safe teen driving.

Our Fort Myers personal injury lawyers urge you to speak to your teen drivers about the risks associated with poor driving choices. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers. And Cape Coral car accidents involving teenagers have made that city one of the most dangerous of its size in the nation for young drivers.

Florida is one of 10 states where coalitions are being formed. The others are California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

“While our roads have never been safer, car crashes remain the No. 1 killer of all people from 1 to 34 years old, with teens crashing four times more often than any other age group. We must act now to create new social norms behind the wheel starting first with our youngest drivers,” said Joan H. Walker, senior vice president, Allstate Insurance Co. “With its long legacy of building safety coalitions, NSC is the ideal organization to lead new state efforts to change the teen driving culture.”

Florida car accidents involving young drivers claimed 516 lives in 2008. Only California (593) and Texas (650) reported more deaths involving teen drivers.

“Funding from The Allstate Foundation allows NSC to develop a coordinated strategy for building effective state coalitions,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO. “The coalitions will mobilize state leaders to find unique solutions to the teen driving issue and save young lives for generations to come.”

Participants will include local and state law enforcement, public health personnel, the media, injury prevention groups and tees and parents, including family and friends of teen crash victims.
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Fort Myers car accidents, premise liability issues a concern during Halloween

October 23, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The Halloween season brings with it the increased threat of injuries resulting from premise liability issues and car accidents in Fort Myers and throughout South Florida.

Authorities will be conducting a drunk driving “Over the Limit. Under Arrest” campaign from Oct. 25 – 31, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drunk driving was responsible for more than half of the 4,900 people killed over Halloween weekends during the last decade.

Nighttime is always a dangerous time to be on the road but Halloween night is frequently one of the deadliest nights on the road all year.

Car accidents are not the only danger during Halloween — Issues involving premise liability in Fort Myers are commonplace. More walking dark sidewalks is done on Halloween night than all year long. Children are at increased risk of a whole host of injuries, including Fort Myers pedestrian accidents. And trick-or-treaters and/or guests or party goers can be subjected to everything from slip and fall accidents to dog attacks and swimming pool accidents.

When it comes to Halloween, pretty much anything can happen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a fun list of safety tips that spell “Safe Halloween:”

-Swords, knives and other costume accessories should be soft and flexible.

-Avoid trick-or-treating alone.

-Fasten reflective tape to your costume to make yourself more visible to drivers.

-Examine treats for choke hazards and tampering.

-Hold a flashing so you can see and others can see you.

-Always test make-up in a small area and remove promptly to avoid irritation.

-Look both ways before crossing the street.

-Lower your risk for eye injury by not wearing costume lenses.

-Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic.

-Wear well-fitting masks, costumes and shoes.

-Eat only factory-wrapped candy.

-Enter homes only with a trusted adult.

-Never walk near lit candles and be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.
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Fort Myers accident attorneys encourage parents to speak with teens during Teen Driver Safety Week

October 19, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Our Fort Myers personal injury lawyers encourage parents to speak with their teenagers about the importance of safe driving habits this week during National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 17-24).

As we reported last week on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, parental involvement is critical to reducing the risk that your teenager will be involved in a serious or fatal car accident in Cape Coral or Fort Myers. The coming weeks are among the most dangerous of the year as school’s celebrate homecoming, traffic gets intense with the start of tourist season, and South Florida heads into the holiday season.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers ages 15 to 20. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 2 of every 5 teenager deaths are the result of traffic accidents.

Teens have every bad driving habit in the book and are among the worst offenders when it comes to drunk driving, speeding, texting and driving, distracted driving, not wearing their seat belts, riding with too many passengers in the car, dangerous nighttime driving and driving too fast for conditions.

In fact, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that 1 in 5 16-year-old drivers will be involved in an accident.

The Florida Drive with Care program is encouraging awareness by urging everyone to wear a white shirt on Oct. 19 to “White Out Teen Crashes.”

Driving tips for teenagers adapted from the department of motor vehicles:

-Wear your seat belt.

-Adjust mirrors, seat, radio and climate control before moving.

-Make complete stops at stop signs and red lights. Avoid jamming on the brakes. When stopping behind another vehicle, stay far enough back that you can see its rear tires.

-Look left, right, straight, left before proceeding from a stop. Look left first and last because that is the direction of oncoming traffic.

-Do not rely on mirrors when backing up. Make visual checks in all directions to make sure your path is clear.

-Remain 15 feet away from trucks on all sides. If you cannot see a truck’s rearview mirrors, the driver cannot see you.

-Don’t speed. The chance of death or serious injury doubles for every 10 mph you travel over 50 mph.

Click here for additional tips on dangerous driving distractions, night driving and driving in bad weather. Here you will find a safe driving contract for your Florida teenager.
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Parental involvement critical in reducing the risk of car accidents involving teenagers

October 14, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Parents can go a long way toward helping teenagers avoid a car accidents in Cape Coral or Fort Myers by spending more time with them during the driver’s education process, according to the results of a new Study by the AAA Foundation for Highway Safety.

More than a year ago, our Cape Coral Accident attorneys reported the dangers on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog after an insurance study found Cape Coral the deadliest city of its size in American for teen car accidents.

The New York Times reports that most teens are allowed to get driver’s licenses despite exhibiting a need for extra training behind the wheel — particularly when it comes to challenging driving situations like night driving, driving in heavy traffic or driving in heavy rain or bad weather.

Child Passenger Safety Week: A reminder of the many ways a child can be injured in a Fort Myers car accident

September 22, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Our Fort Myers child injury lawyers encourage parents to participate in Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 19 to 25) by talking to your kids about dangers around vehicles and having your booster and safety seats checked on National Seat Check Saturday, Sept. 25.

A list of child safety seat check locations in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and throughout South Florida is available here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that car accidents remain the leading cause of death for young children ages 3 to 14. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 1,347 children were killed in car accidents in 2008 and 193,000 were injured. Florida car accidents killed 73 children that year.

Child accidents in Fort Myers and Naples area are a reminder of drowning dangers throughout South Florida

September 6, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

A series of drowning or near-drowning incidents involving children remind us that swimming safety is an important topic for discussion. Each of us need to do our part to avoid swimming pool accidents in Fort Myers, Naples and throughout South Florida.

On Sunday, the News-Press reported that a 2-year-old boy drowned in a pond in South Fort Myers. The child apparently slipped out of his house and wandered into the pond about 30 yards away.

Last week, a 15-year-old boy drowned while swimming near the Sanibel Causeway, according to The News-Press.

Competition seeks input from teens about the dangers of distracted driving car accidents in South Florida

August 28, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Young drivers are being asked to prepare and submit public service announcements about the dangers of text messaging and using a cell phone while driving. Authorities hope the messages by teenagers for teenagers will help reduce the dangers of distracted driving. As we continue to report, teenagers are at increased risk of car accidents in Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

The winning announcement will debut at National Two-Second Turnoff Day on Sept. 17 and will be featured at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s second annual Distracted Driving Summit on Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C. The Two-Second Turnoff Day encourages teenagers to take two seconds to shut off their cell phones before getting behind the wheel — about the same amount of time it takes a distracted driver to cause a serious or fatal accident.

As our Fort Myers accident attorneys recently reported on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, the Sunshine State is one of the few that does not have a law preventing teenagers from text messaging or using a cell phone while driving.

School year begins; use caution in avoiding school bus accidents in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte

August 20, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that all new motor coaches will be required to have seat belts to prevent ejection in the event of a rollover accident. That’s good news unless your child rides a school bus — existing buses and new school buses are exempt from the requirement.

The new school year brings increased risk of a school bus accident in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte. Student fatalities are thankfully rare, though they do happen. Just this month in St. Louis a horrific accident involving two school buses and a semi killed two students and sent 50 to the hospital. An average of 19 students die in school bus accidents each year in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Injury accidents are much more common. At risk groups include student passengers and other motorists who are involved in an accident with a school bus, which carry the increased risks often associated with being in an accident with a semi or other large commercial vehicle.

Back to school puts emphasis on teen driving safety in South Florida

August 13, 2010 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The Fort Myers injury attorneys and staff at Associates & Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, urge parents to speak with their children about the dangers of distracted driving as teenagers begin returning to school this week.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And Florida ranked just “fair” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when it comes to the training young drivers receive. Only 13 states did not earn the agency’s top rating.

Regardless of the training a teen receives in the classroom, it is the involvement of parents who are willing to set clear rules that frequently makes the difference when it comes to keeping teens safe behind the wheel.

Playground safety tips help prevent children’s injuries

July 23, 2009 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Watching your kids enjoy the slides, swings and other equipment at your favorite park or playground can be some of parenthood’s most rewarding moments. But Florida injury lawyers remind you that safety should be your first priority to ensure your child does not suffer a serious injury while at play.

“During the summer, playgrounds and parks in the area are very popular places for families to spend time”, says attorney PJ Scheiner of Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner Personal Injury Lawyers. “It only takes a second for a child to suffer a serious injury from inadequately maintained or faulty playground equipment.”

Emergency rooms across the country treat more than 200,000 children 14 years of age or younger for playground-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those occur at public playgrounds, including schools and day care centers. Additionally, according to a new Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati study of emergency department visits throughout the United States, injuries due to falls from playground equipment result in higher proportion of severe injuries than either bicycle or motor vehicle crashes.