This case is still under investigation and the names of those involved are being withheld.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that about 75 people are killed annually and about 20,000 are injured on or near riding lawnmowers and garden tractors. One out of every five of those fatalities is a child. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics in a 2001 article in the journal Pediatrics, which was reaffirmed in 2010, states that “many of these injuries can be achieved by 1) design changes of lawn mowers to enhance safety, 2) appropriate age and maturity guidelines for mower operation, and 3) education of parents, other child caregivers, and children regarding the hazards associated with lawn mowers.”

Florida Child Injury lawyer Jim Dodson provides this information to increase consumer safety and awareness. It does not imply that an attorney client relationship exists nor is it to be considered legal advice to any viewer.

Police report: Jacksonville father arrested on DUI charge was driving with his children.

A 41-year-old Jacksonville man was charged with driving drunk with his three young children, ages 5, 6, and 9 in the car with him, the Florida Times -Union reports. He was also charged with hit-and-run after the children informed their mother that their father had “hit a car at Target,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office.

Police spotted Oscar Adolfo Gomez driving his Toyota erratically on Collins Road at Ortega Bluff Parkway shortly before 9 PM on Friday. When they pulled him over, they observed that Gomez’s speech was slurred and he emitted a strong odor of alcohol, the sheriff’s report states. The three children were in the passenger side and rear seats of the car.

Dispatchers matched the car to a reported hit-and-run accident where the Toyota had allegedly rear-ended another car. This was confirmed when the victim of the hit-and-run was taken to the scene and identified the car as the one that hit her on San Jose Boulevard then drove off over the Buckman Bridge.

Gomez was charged with DUI while accompanied by a minor, DUI causing damage, leaving the scene of an accident, and careless driving. The children were released to their mother.

Gomez told police he had three beers and had taken codeine. He has a history of traffic violations.

Being under the influence is one of the common causes of a driver leaving the scene of an accident.

Information about Florida’s tough DUI laws can be found at http://jimdodsonlaw.com/2011/09/07/florida-dui-laws/

A release from Associated Press reports that a toddler, 2-year-old Mark Andrew Van Cott, drowned Thursday evening in a lake bordering the backyard of his grandparents’ home in a St. Petersburg’s Brighton Bay area.

The toddler was playing inside the house while his grandparents were preparing dinner. They suddenly noticed he was no longer around and began searching the house for him.

The child’s grandfather then went to search the back yard and saw him lying face down in the lake near the shore. He pulled the little boy from the water and began CPR, which was continued until paramedics arrived.

The young child had apparently gotten out of the house through an open sliding glass door leading to a screened in back porch, and then got out through a screen door that was not secured. The lake is about 60 feet from the house.

The family said that he was not out of sight for more the five minutes before being found in the lake.

Drowning is the number one cause of death in children under 5 in Florida. These tragic child deaths can be prevented by making certain that all doors that could give a child access to water are properly secured, and ensuring that an adult is assigned to keep a watchful eye on a child who is playing anywhere in the vicinity of water.

Clearwater child injury accident attorney Jim Dodson successfully represented a local thirteen-year-old child recently, who suffered broken bones to a leg and foot when  hit by a car while getting off  the school bus at a regular stop. The driver who struck the child was attempting to pass the stopped school bus. These accidents are becoming all too common. In Central Florida, nearly a dozen students have been injured in school bus accidents since the beginning of the school year.

We encourage drivers in Florida and around the nation to be mindful of the law and of the safety and well-being of our children during National School Bus Safety Week and throughout the year.

An article published in U.S. News Health magazine recently, was a reminder of the dangers of a moments glance away in a fatal drowning. Just a quick distraction by adults can result in fatal consequences when supervising children around water. Whether a backyard swimming  pool, lake, pond, beach, child’s inflatable pool, bathtub, bucket of water or any body of water, a child must have a responsible adult with focused eyes on them at all times and the ability to jump in quickly.

The article on summertime safety, stated children can drown even in a swimming pool with a lifeguard on duty, and yes, even when they have had swimmming lessons – if they become fatigued. Often times, contrary to what you might expect, when a child slips beneath the surface of the water, there is no sound – no flailing or commotion.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 1-4 in Florida. The state’s drowning death rate among this age group (1-4)  is the highest in the nation. As a grandparent to two precious little girls, I urge all parents, grandparents and caregivers of children to be hypervigilant in supervising your children around water.

 It is my sincere hope, through education and heightened awareness of this young family’s tremendously sad loss, we can prevent this tragedy from happening again.

- Florida Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, working to make safety every child’s reality.

 

Although some parents are requesting alternative immunization schedules because they fear that their children are being exposed to too many vaccinations, the study indicates there are no advantages in delaying the vaccines, only disadvantages.

 Two years ago in Minnesota during a shortage of the Haemophilus influenza Type B vaccine, which babies receive at the ages of 2, 4 and 6 months, five cases of illnesses were reported.  In one instance a child died because they could not ward off the disease.  In three of the cases, the babies hadn’t received the Hib vaccine, and the other two babies hadn’t been fully vaccinated.

 Recommended vaccines are designed to prevent infection with 14 diseases.  Babies can receive up to 26 vaccines in their first year of life, a doubling since the mid-1980s.  

The topic of childhood vaccines  is discussed  in Chapter 4 of  Clearwater Florida Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson’s newly released consumer guide, “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries: A Parent’s Guide to Child Injury in Florida.”  

Request your FREE copy  of  “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries”  by clicking here  or email your book request to judi@jwdodsonlaw.com

 The young boy had his gallbladder removed as surgeons there used the single incision laparoscopy technique.  Surgeons Nicole Chandler, MD and Paul Danielson, MD made a single incision through his belly button.  Through the small incision, tiny surgical instruments were utilized as well as a miniaturized video camera.

 He was the first patient at All Children’s Hospital to use the technique.  The Dodson Law Firm salutes physicians dedicated to superior patient care throughout the state of Florida.  Our Florida Child Injury law firm is  working to make safety every child’s reality. If you find you are need of a Florida child injury lawyer, please call our office, toll free at (888) 340-0840 for a free case review of your injury claim today.

 Carlos Pozo, serving a 5 ½ year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, was speeding at 100mph on a rain slicked road when he lost control of his car. Kaitlin Kazanjian’s was killed in the crash.  Pozo has no way of paying the verdict. 

 The victim’s father, Palm Beach County Sheriff Office Sgt. John Kazanjian, says it doesn’t matter and it was never about the money, stating:  “I just wanted to get everything on the record.  To this day he thinks this was an accident, “It wasn’t an accident. It was his fault. He killed my daughter.”

 Attorneys for Pozo say he has been “incredibly remorseful” since the day of the accident, writing letters to the Kazanjian’s and tearfully apologizing at his sentencing.  

 For over twenty-five years the Dodson Law Firm has been representing clients seriously injured in accidents as well as families affected by wrongful death.  To speak directly to Jim Dodson about your injury claim,  please call our office toll free at (888) 340-0840 and set up a time to discuss your case at no obligation. Read our No Fee Promise.

The ad headline, with an eye-catching  graphic read: “Why do most 16-year-olds drive like their missing part of their brain?  Because they are.” 

A teenager’s brain is not fully developed until their 20’s. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, the “missing part of the brain,” plays a major role in teenager’s decision-making and the understanding of consequences. That is why as parents of teen drivers, anxiety and a lot of prayer go along with seeing our young drivers pull out of the driveway; and a sigh of relief and thankfulness when they are home safely!

 Allstate reminds us  teen drivers, yes, even bright, seemingly mature teens sometimes do things the insurance people label as “stupid.”  But  they say- it’s not really their fault!

The company supports  the Standup Act, or the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2009.

 The law creates a National Graduated Driver Licensing law that would provide teens with  on-the-road experience gradually, while helping them avoid risky conditions.

 States that have implemented GDL programs  have seen the number of fatal crashes among 16-year-old drivers fall by almost 40%.

Florida instituted it’s GDL program on July 1, 1996. 

Florida Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, working to make safety, every child’s reality.

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.