Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Archive for December, 2011

Child safety advocates in Palm Beach County have come up with an inexpensive idea to help parents and caregivers remember when there’s a baby in the back seat of their vehicle.

The Safety Council of Palm Beach County along with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and others will be giving out 10,000 blue silicone bracelet for caregivers to wear when a child is in the car; if the caregiver still has the bracelet on after leaving the car, the child is likely still there.

Two children have died this year after being forgotten in vehicles in Florida. Six such deaths were recorded in 2010.

Jim Dodson Law supports any and all efforts to prevent these tragedies. We  have reported in the past about a device that senses the child in the rear seat and gives an audible and persistent reminder to remove the child. Such a device should be mandated on new car models. Until that happens, drivers are encouraged to use any means at their disposal to avoid forgetting. The bracelets are a good first step in raising awareness of the problem.  To get your free bracelet call the Safety Council @ (561) 845-8233.

Florida child injury attorney Jim Dodson is a longtime advocate for child safety.  He provides information to the public on keeping children safe and has a free consumer guide on legal steps needed to recover damages when the worst happens and  child is injured or killed due to someone’s negligence at http://jimdodsonlaw.com/category/library/child-injury/.

For Immediate  Release

December 15, 2011

Clearwater, Florida – Jim Dodson Law and Chainwheel Drive have joined together to donate bikes to deserving children for Christmas.  Five children will have the joy of receiving a shiny new bike and helmet on December 21, 2011 at Chainwheel Drive, 1770 Drew Street, Clearwater. 

For the past two years the law firm has given 5 bikes to deserving children who are 12 years of age or younger for Christmas.  Several local agencies have helped to locate children who needed or would enjoy a bike but have not had the opportunity to receive one. This year Chainwheel Drive, a local bicycle store, has partnered with Jim Dodson Law to provide the bikes and helmets. 

The 5 children range in age from 5 year old twins to an 11 year old.  The children, along with their parents, will receive their new bikes and helmets in a presentation at Chainwheel Drive on Wednesday, December 21, at 5:30pm.  They will also receive safe riding literature and will be given general instruction on care of their new bikes.

Jim Dodson says, “This is always a pretty meaningful experience for all involved, particularly the parents and the children!” Tom Jessup, owner of Chainwheel Drive, added, “We are excited to partner with Jim this year to provide new quality bikes to children at Christmas   It’s a wonderful moment to see a kid’s eyes light up when they see their first new bike.”

More information about Jim Dodson Law can be found at
http://jimdodsonlaw.com/about-our-firm/

More information about Chainwheel Drive can be found at http://chainwheeldrive.com/articles/about-us-pg85.htm

A report of a particularly heartless hit-and-run pedestrian crash comes from South Florida television station WSVN. Police are looking for the hit-and-run driver who struck a young child, who is now confined to a wheelchair.

The six-year-old boy, a pedestrian, was hit by a car when he crossed Lucy Street near Second Avenue in Homestead, in the company of his father and three-year-old brother, at around 7 p.m. on Thursday. The boy was in the turn lane when he was hit by the car. The driver fled the scene without stopping.

Police have located the vehicle, but the whereabouts of the twenty-two-year-old driver is unknown.

The injured child was taken first to Homestead Hospital and then to Miami Children’s Hospital. He has been released in a wheelchair with a rod in his leg.

Police are appealing to the public for help in locating the missing driver. Leaving the scene of an accident in which a person has been injured in a third degree felony in Florida at present, but the Florida legislature is considering a bill introduced by Senator Mike Fasano to increase the penalty to a second degree felony.

Florida child injury attorney James Dodson has successfully represented many children injured when hit by cars in the state and has assisted their families in recovering damages to assure that the injured child is able to receive needed medical care.

Attorney Dodson has written a book, “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries,” which he makes available free of charge to the families of children who have been injured as pedestrians, available at http://www.jimdodsonlaw.com/.