Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘broken bones’

This week across Florida and the nation it is National School Bus Safety Week, October 17-21. Florida’s departments of Education, Transportation, and Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles have teamed up to develop a safety campaign entitled Stop on Red, Kids Ahead to impress Florida’s drivers with the importance of stopping from both directions for a school bus that is loading or unloading children with lights flashing and signs extended. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that Florida drivers illegally pass school buses nearly two million times every year!

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.

Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist and fitness consultant who works with organizations designing functional training programs.  Here are some important tips she supplies for parent’s whose children are involved with youth sports.

 Although some may appear to be common sense, sometimes  it’s the “smaller things” that are overlooked that could lead to child injury. Many children experience  minor bruises and injuries as they participate in youth sports. But there are some safety considerations for parents in the event an injury does occur and steps to take  to protect children from more serious injuries.

• Does the coach have first aid training and an emergency action plan?
• Is there a safety policy regarding injury, illness, and inclement weather?
• Does the coach have your emergency contact information?
• Do you have contact information for the coach?
• Is there a first-aid kit always on hand?
• Is there available water, hydration at all game & practices?
• Is there a scheduled warm-up and cool down at games and practices?
• Does your child receive guidelines and recommendations about proper safety equipment?                                                                                                                
• Is safety equipment required for play?
• Are children allowed adequate rest between games and practices?
• Is sportsmanship, and fair play a core value of the program and the coach?

 Unfortunately, tragic accidents can  happen on the playing field.   Children have the potential for suffering many kinds of  serious injuries while playing sports including: broken bones, concussion, trauma, torn ligaments, sprains and strains, eye injuries and more. If you are unsure  about answers to even one of these questions, make a point to find out. It’s in your children best interest and safety that you do.  The Dodson Law Firm protects the interests of families every day.  For a free consultation with our Florida Personal Injury lawyers contact our office @ 1-888-340-0840.