Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘child’

Gymnastics provide opportunities for children to experience growth in  fine and gross motor skills, agility and coordination. Our grandaughter has had such fun already and learned much in her young and limited experience in their local gym.

-But accidents do occur. Consider some basic safety information before enrolling your children in a gymnastics program. Does the gym have adequate staff and supervision for spotting and monitoring? Is equipment properly arranged and maintained? Is there adequate secured matting and floor padding? Is there a plan in the event of a medical emergency? 

Gymnastics injuries have been studied  by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. Findings suggest gymnastics is overlooked in terms of potential for injury.  Nearly 27,000 injuries are reported each year – concussions, fractures, sprains.

Parents  don’t typically think of gymnastics as a dangerous sport, but rather an activity.  Do your homework first. Then choose the gym that is right for your child!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an alert recently concerning the risks of window cords.

 This came after a two-year old Maryland child was strangled when he became entangled in the cords.  According to the CPSC, approximately 12 children a year die from this type of strangulation.  Manufacturers are heeding the warning.  5 million window treatments have been recalled in the last few months.

 The commission is recommending that any home where a child lives or visits, such as a grandparent’s or a daycare facility should use cordless window treatments. 

 It’s vitally important to remember that our children need adult supervision.  Make sure your home is safe for children.  Raise blinds or shades above children’s heads. Cut cords or make sure no dangling cords are within the reach of children. Move furniture and cribs away from windows to prevent toddlers from reaching dangling cords or falling fom windows.

Look for any hidden hazards that may put your  child at risk of injury or pose a serious threat to safety.

Fishhawk Ranch had its first annual Bicycle Rodeo to show children how to safely operate a bicycle and practice smart tips on riding on the street. The event was sponsored by South Florida Baptist Hospital and was held in a parking lot adjacent to FishHawk’s Park Square.  The event was an outreach of the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Children’s Advocacy Center, located in Tampa.

According to the article, the bicycle safety event was held from11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with about 35 children taking advantage of learning how to ride a bicycle, both smartly and safely. A road course was setup to give children real life scenerios to help them know what to do when confronted with a similar situation.

This type of program helps inform children and parents of the dangers of bicycle riding. We  thank all of those  involved in educating children about  the correct way to safely ride a bicycle in situations they will likely face.

Parents, often concerned for their small child’s safety on a playground slide, place the child in their lap. A new study suggests this actually may be putting their child at greater risk of injury.

A recent news article reported a study in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics showing that when parents go down the slide with their children on their lap, the children risk breaking a leg.

Sarasota Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. David Sugar sees this frequently, “Their foot gets caught against the side of the slide, their leg gets twisted, and now with the momentum of the heavier parent behind them there is even more force, enough to break the bone.” A mother interviewed for the article had this experience with her two- year- old daughter who suffered a broken tibia, as a result.

Sugar recommends that children go down a playground slide by themselves, feet first with legs straight, not bent.  It is easy for the rubber of a child’s shoe to get caught on the slide…they keep going, the foot is stuck and they twist. We have actually had this happen with our grandchild but fortunately she was not hurt.

Playgrounds are wonderful places for children to run and explore. As a grandparent reading this article has raised my level of awareness of the risks of injury on slides.

The Florida Public Interest Research Group, a toy safety watchdog organization, has announced a new website. The site lists dangerous children’s toys and recalls, in addition to allowing  parents a place to post problems or concerns about children’s toys.

As holiday shopping nears, the group presented their annual report at All Children’s Hospital Education Center in St. Petersburg.

Additional information is available on our Florida child injury website, http://www.jwdodsonlaw.com/blog/dangerous-childrens-toys-florida-child-injury-lawyer-st-petersburg.cfm

In a horrific event in Valrico, a man tried to light his girlfriend’s son on fire by pooring gasoline on the child.  The man, Christopher A. Koberstine was jailed late Sunday with a felony aggravated assault charge. An arrest affidavit states he threw the gasoline on the victim during an argument at about 11:30 p.m.  Prosecutors reminded Judge Gregory Holder that there has been a string of these types of accidents recently.

Stay in touch for updates on this horrific act.

 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.

Dan Connaughton, a professor in the University of Florida Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sports management is a man on a mission! The mission…to reduce the number of severe injuries and fatal accidents children suffer from bicycle and traffic crashes.

In 2008, Florida held the dubious distinction of having more bicyclists killed in car crashes than any other state – even surpassing California which has twice the population. Last year, 118 bicyclists died in accidents in Florida.

The Florida Traffic and Bicycle Safety Education Program will be designed to teach child the lifelong skills required to be safe abd responsible cyclists and pedestrians. Connaughton was awarded a 3 year contract by the Florida DOT to direct statewide FREE workshops to “teach the teachers” bicycle and traffic safety tips they can instruct their students. The curriculum is designed for elementary, middle and high schools.

The workshops are already being planned throughout the state of Florida. School districts interested in hosting the workshops can contact the program at 352-392-4042, ext. 1370.

Nominate a deserving child!

Here at the Law Office of James W. Dodson, we are pleased to team up with our friends at Bicycle Outfitters to provide bikes to 5 deserving kids this Christmas. If you know a child age 12 or under who has a special story, and is deserving of a new bike, submit your reasons and description of the child in 150 words or less by December 1st 2009 for a chance to win. Winners will be announced by December 10th. Click the above banner to enter!