Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘children’

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

Alcohol not only puts a driver at risk and threatens the safety of others on the road, it can also impair a person’s judgment to the extent that the driver places the lives of his or her own children in peril.

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/

AAA officials remind motorists and parents to be diligent about child pedestrian safety on Halloween. There are 4 times as many fatal accidents among children aged 5 - 14 on Halloween compared to the same time period on other evenings during the year.

As a Child Pedestrian Injury Attorney, I urge parents to discuss safe pedestrian rules with their children.

Motorists, please exercise more caution and observe speed limits while driving on Halloween.

Read more child pedestrian safety tips on Halloween here.

An ATV accident, in Hudson on Saturday, injured 4 children. The all terrain vehicle was on Hicks Road heading south when it pulled into the path of a Ford Ranger going west on Denton Road. The Florida Highway Patrol reports the driver of the Ford left the scene of the crash. The collision resulted in serious injuries to the four ATV riders when they were thrown from the vehicle.

The three teens  and a twelve year old who were hurt were taken to local hospitals, according to a news report. One of the teens is in critical condition. The hit-and-run accident remains under investigation. Authorities are looking for information about the driver of the Ford Ranger.

Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, your online resource for free consumer legal guides , child safety and injury prevention articles, informative videos about steps to take after an injury and answers to your frequently asked questions.

A study by the Florida Dept. of Education revealed too many drivers have limited understanding of  Florida laws governing the passing of school buses stopped to load and unload school children. The safety of children in and around school buses is tragically compromised by irresponsible and negligent drivers. Public service announcements to increase awareness and educate drivers and increased law enforcement and engineering measures to increase safety are beginning steps to reduce the alarming number of children who are injured or killed at Florida school bus stops. This is only a partial list posted by Bob Eubanks on February 26, 2010 on this website, to increase public awareness of those who have been injured or who have been killed  between 1981-2010.

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With spring here and summer fast approaching, children are out and about in playgrounds all across the country.  With proper care and guidance playgrounds should be a safe environment for your child.  Are they receiving enough supervision, though?  Fall  injuries are the number one reason why children aged 5 to 9 are taken to the emergency room. 

 Here are some tips pediatrician, Dr. Susan Surry explains parents and caregivers can implement to help keep their child safer at the playground and prevent unintentional injury.

• Check playground equipment for any damage, including loose bars or broken swings
• Ensure that the equipment is the right size and meets the physical abilities of your child
• Teach children playground safety rules and consistently reinforce them
• Don’t take skipping ropes onto playground structures
• Stand next to your child when they’re learning a new skill

 The Law Office of James W. Dodson, protecting children and representing families of injured victims in Florida personal injury claims. For a free case review, please call our toll free number at (888) 340-0840.

Officials have reported three girls have admitted to harassing a 10-year-old classmate reportedly at Lockhart Elementary Magnet School.

Tampa police say  the alleged bullying transpired when the three girls slapped their classmate and threw her into a fence.  There have been other episodes, as well.  Investigators believe on another occasion, the victim was threatened while a rope was wrapped around her shoulders.

 The three youths have not given a reason for the abuse.  A case of bullying on a Tampa elementary school campus could lead to arrests.  Criminal charges are expected.

Bullying is tragically, a problem for thousands of school children each day.  For a comprehensive look at how to handle bullying ,  please visit KidsHealth.org.

The Dodson Law Firm provides this Florida child injury blog as a resource for families in an effort to educate parents and “to make safety every child’s reality.”

Call our Florida Personal Injury Law firm for a free consultation about your injury case @ 1-888-340-0840.

The Children’s Safety Village of Central Florida is a not-for-profit organization that teaches children about the safety hazards they encounter in everyday life, in an effort to reduce preventable accidents and fatal injury.

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.

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.  

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We recently found this write-up from a CNN physician’s blog full of good information. Children under the age of four are just in the beginning of their developmental years.  For babies and toddler their sense of balance is anything but astute.  Because of this they often fall.  All parents understand that falling is second nature to toddlers and for the most part shouldn’t cause undo alarm.  But when a fall occurs by a stairwell or a hard sharp surface a more severe injury can occur. 

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