Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘child injury lawyer’

An advertisement by the Allstate Insurance Company  in the Wall Street Journal,  caught our attention!

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.

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.  

Read the rest of this entry »

Household injuries are one of the top reasons kids under age 3 visit the ER, and nearly 70% of the children who die from unintentional injuries at home are 4 years old and under. Young kids have the highest risk of being injured at home because that’s where they spend most of their time.

Supervision is the best way to prevent injuries, in the home and out, but even the most watchful parents can’t keep kids completely out of harm’s way every second of the day.

We’d like to share additional information with you on making your home safer.  We went over some tips in part 1, but here are a  few more.

 1) Child monitoring system.  These systems offer peace of mind and protection.  They come in audio and video configurations.  Monitoring your child when they are out of sight in another room provides a safe environment.

 2) Carbon Monoxide Detector.  Reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning by installing these detectors outside a child’s bedroom or other sleeping areas in your home.

 3) Safety Gates.  Children need to be diverted from dangerous areas, including   stairwells and places you consider off-limits.  Safety gates that can be attached to a wall offer more protection than pressure gates.

4.) Always keep guns, toxic items and choking hazards safely stored and locked up  and out of the reach of children.

5.) Keep a list of emergency contact phone numbers near your phones in the event of an emergency.

 Protect your child from unintentional injury.  Implementing safety devices and keeping a watchful eye will benefit your child.  An ounce of prevention goes a long way!

 Authorities don’t know why a 44-year-old Kissimmee man lost control of his car Sunday night, causing him to hit a light pole and sign post. The man was taken to Osceola Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

A 9-year-old boy who was a passenger in the car was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital to treat serious injuries he sustained in the car crash. Florida Highway Patrol says  the boy was not wearing a seatbelt.

The Dodson Law Firm urges all drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts.  The failure of a child to wear a seatbelt or use a child restraint safety device is a contributing factor in more than one-half of the accidents in which a child dies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, “safety belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by forty-five percent. Wearing a seat belt is no longer an option. It’s the law.

Trusting a school with your child takes a great deal of faith…for Lee Ann Mizell, that trust has been lost.

Her daughter, 5-year-old, Kaylee Mitchell has been put at risk twice in the last few months when school officials at Griffin Elementary in Lakeland have lost track of her.

Kaylee is supposed to attend an aftercare program at Griffin. According to her mother, she has been put on a  schoolbus two times and been sent home instead. The problem…her mother works during the day and hasn’t been there at the apartment complex to pick Kaylee up. Both times she has been found wandering around the complex lost.

Fortunately no accidents have occurred. Charlene Brinson, Polk County’s Director of Elementary School issued this statement, “The teacher was dealt with. That’s all I can tell you. It’s a personnel matter.”

Kaylee’s mother is taking matters into her own hands, she is transferring her daughter to another school.