Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Archive for April, 2010

Social networking giant, Facebook, has added a new Safety Center designed to provide information for teens and parents, as well as law enforcement and educators.  A number of best practices are offered in an effort to create a safer online environment. 

 Questions like “What should I do if my teen is being cyberbullied?” are addressed to parents concerned about their child’s well-being online.  Parents who might not understand their teen’s “connected world” should review the information and tips Facebook provides in this new offering. 

 Educators should also benefit from the new Safety Center page.  Instructions are offered concerning how to manage group pages so that teachers can use Facebook as another avenue to responsibly interact with students and parents.  Teachers will also be able to connect with over 270,000 other educators via the Facebook on the Education page.

Our Florida Child Injury Lawyer offers a wealth of  safety information articles and resources to protect children and families on our website, including: dog bite prevention, teen driver safety, drown proofing your child, bike helmet safety, car seat safety guidelines and more!  

Working to make safety, every child’s reality,  toll free number  @ (888) 340-0840.

With spring here and summer fast approaching, children are out and about in playgrounds all across the country.  With proper care and guidance playgrounds should be a safe environment for your child.  Are they receiving enough supervision, though?  Fall  injuries are the number one reason why children aged 5 to 9 are taken to the emergency room. 

 Here are some tips pediatrician, Dr. Susan Surry explains parents and caregivers can implement to help keep their child safer at the playground and prevent unintentional injury.

• Check playground equipment for any damage, including loose bars or broken swings
• Ensure that the equipment is the right size and meets the physical abilities of your child
• Teach children playground safety rules and consistently reinforce them
• Don’t take skipping ropes onto playground structures
• Stand next to your child when they’re learning a new skill

 The Law Office of James W. Dodson, protecting children and representing families of injured victims in Florida personal injury claims. For a free case review, please call our toll free number at (888) 340-0840.

Officials have reported three girls have admitted to harassing a 10-year-old classmate reportedly at Lockhart Elementary Magnet School.

Tampa police say  the alleged bullying transpired when the three girls slapped their classmate and threw her into a fence.  There have been other episodes, as well.  Investigators believe on another occasion, the victim was threatened while a rope was wrapped around her shoulders.

 The three youths have not given a reason for the abuse.  A case of bullying on a Tampa elementary school campus could lead to arrests.  Criminal charges are expected.

Bullying is tragically, a problem for thousands of school children each day.  For a comprehensive look at how to handle bullying ,  please visit KidsHealth.org.

The Dodson Law Firm provides this Florida child injury blog as a resource for families in an effort to educate parents and “to make safety every child’s reality.”

Call our Florida Personal Injury Law firm for a free consultation about your injury case @ 1-888-340-0840.

Dr. Julian Haber, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at the Child Study Center in Forth Worth, Texas  is the author of a book titled, “ADHD, The Great Misdiagnosis.”

In this book, Dr. Haber, who has a background of 49 years in medicine, offers aid for parents and professionals searching for a correct diagnosis for children who are struggling at school.

 Possessing the symptoms of ADHD shouldn’t be misconstrued as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  To complicate matters more, the symptoms of ADHD can be present in over thirty other disorders.  They range from problems with the sensory systems, mental illness, or scholastic, psychosocial, and medical issues.

Dr. Haber refers to these as “ADHD Imitators.”  Here’s a list of 10 possible imitators of ADHD:

• Hearing and vision problems
• Learning disabilities
• Dysgraphia or difficulties with writing
• Mental retardation
• Personality conflicts, either with a teacher or other students
• Depression
• Childhood psychosis
• Oppositional defiant disorder
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Thyroid disorders

For the complete list please visit KeepKidsHealthy.com.

Florida Child Injury Lawyer protecting the rights of injured children for over 20 years.

The Children’s Safety Village of Central Florida is a not-for-profit organization that teaches children about the safety hazards they encounter in everyday life, in an effort to reduce preventable accidents and fatal injury.

What better way to teach young children than through hands-on exercises. The “city” includes miniaturized buildings complete with paved streets, sidewalks, a functioning traffic light, a railroad crossing and a water safety complex.  Each of these everyday life experiences help children see potential dangers and practice safety measures to protect themselves from accidental injuries. 

 Approximately 10,000 children are brought to the Children Safety Village facility of Central Florida every year to receive this hands-on education.  Our own children were frequent visitors to the wonderful facility in Clearwater, as they were growing up.

To find out more information or to schedule a tour, call (407) 521-4673 or visit their website. 

 Working to make safety every child’s reality, our Florida Child Injury lawyers have protected  the rights of  injured children and families for over twenty- five years. 

 Call our office toll free at (888) 340-0840 for a free legal consultation.

There is never any obligation to hire a lawyer.

The 2010 Florida’s Kids and Alcohol Town Hall Meeting will be broadcast on WEDU-TV, Thursday, April 22^nd at 9pm.

Teens, parents, educators, counselors, community activists and law-enforcement representatives will all join together in an open honest discussion related to the underage drinking and the effect that it has on all of our lives.

Prescription drug misuse will also be covered in this year’s meeting.  This is the 5^th year that WEDU has offered this forum.  This will be an opportunity to listen to the concerns and suggestions from all of the participants involved in the discussion.

The Dodson Law Firm applauds the efforts of WEDU-TV in producing this project to enhance the safety of children throughout the state of Florida.

Last week this report gathered national attention when an owner of a daycare center in Oklahoma was found to have loaded guns inside the child care facility.

Police said they found the guns in the garage, attic and inside a safe.  According to the Department of Human Services, the guns are permissible inside home-based daycare centers as long as they are locked up and stored away from ammunition.

Police had raided the day care center as part of a forgery investigation.  A stolen checkbook was found on the premises.   Officers took 37-year-old Tina Butler, who runs the facility, into custody at the scene.  However, police indicate she is not the subject of the forgery investigation.

Neighbors had noticed surveillance cameras by every door and window.  “It’s a little suspicious that they’re coming in and out like that and don’t say hi and don’t have any interaction with anyone,” said one unidentified neighbor.

It is of vital importance that day care centers offer the highest degree of protection and safety for your children.  Day Care Centers must take every preventive measure possible  to ward off any danger that might be posed to your child when in their care.

The Dodson Law Firm represents families and children who are victims of negligence and whose safety has been put in harms way.

Call our toll free number at (888) 340-0840 for your free legal consultation.

EVAC Ambulance Service has been found at fault for alleged injuries which occurred seven years ago to a Volusia County boy. 

 The morning of September 21, 2003, a woman experiencing premature labor pains went to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.  Doctors there conferred and decided to have her treated at Halifax Medical Center.  The ambulance however, transported the woman to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.  Her infant, weighing 1.7 lbs. was born prematurely, 15 minutes into the trip.  The newborn allegedly suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain, leaving him with cerebral palsy.

 A spokesman for EVAC, was quoted saying, “EVAC paramedics have to care for the tragic consequences of illness and injury every day. We stand behind our paramedics and intend to appeal this verdict.”

 The Dodson Law Firm serves the rights of injured victims and those who have suffered due to medical negligence. Our Florida Medical Malpractice attorneys work on a contingency fee basis which means we do not collect a fee unless we win a successful settlement or verdict.  Call our office toll free @ 1-888-340-0840 for a free legal consultation.

Our Florida medical malpractice attorney

http://www.jwdodsonlaw.com/practice_areas/medical-malpractice-medical-negligence.cfm

Brachial plexus injuries occur during difficult births when a newborn’s shoulder becomes lodged in the birth canal.

 In one case, a jury awarded $1.8 million in damages to the plaintiffs stemming from a brachial plexus injury which left a newborn with only limited use of her right arm.  The parents of the baby alleged the OB-GYN pulled too hard on the infant’s head in an attempt to pry the infant’s shoulder free.  Both the hospital and a nurse, who was also involved in the delivery, settled before trial.

 Our Florida medical malpractice attorneys understand your rights and the solemn obligations of the hospitals and physicians whom our clients rely on every day.  Contact us toll free at 1-888-340-0840 for a free legal consultation concerning your Florida Medical Malpractice claim. 

We recently read an interesting write-up addressing a study performed at the Pediatric Specialty Center in New Orleans.

The report indicates doctors may be over-prescribing anti-reflux medication to infants.  The study found fewer than 20% of the babies who had been prescribed the medication actually needed it.  It’s thought that they may have just been exhibiting the normal behavior of “spitting up” that newborns experience. 

Dr. Vikram Khoshoo, author of the study, suggested the drugs are being over prescribed because parents want something done to try to stop the regurgitation and irritability of the babies.  Dr. Khoshoo adds that taking proper care in not over feeding your child and ensuring your baby is positioned upright after eating, should help decrease the chance of reflux.  

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