Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘children’

The Dodson Law Firm  likes to acknowledge companies and organizations that are doing the right thing for children.  “Kids are Heroes” is a program  St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa has instituted since 1996.  Since that time, they have recognized more than 1,000 children, between the ages 5 and 18, from Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties who have accomplished heroic deeds, or displayed acts of selflessness. 

 Every year these young heroes are selected by a panel of judges comprised of current and past pediatric patients of St. Joseph’s.  The Tampa Bay Lightning is also affiliated with this worthwhile program. 

 In 2009 there were some very special individuals who were chosen as heroes.  To find out more about the program and the winners, please visit their website, or contact Amy Gall at (813) 870-4731.

When it comes to children, HealthyStuff.org is an organization who cares.  They provide a wealth of information pertaining to items such as back-to-school products, children’s toys, cars and children’s car seats. The list keeps growing.

We are providing you with a link to HealthyStuff’s  recently posted 2009 best/worst list of car seats.  The list is broken down into 3 categories:  infant, convertible and booster.  The results should be interesting to concerned parents.

If you have any questions regarding your child’s car seat, also note that the Florida Highway Patrol  provides a service by a staff member who will check the seat, show you how to properly and safely install it and answer any of your questions about child restraints. 

We provide more information concerning issues related to child safety on our Florida Child Injury website.

Photo Provided by St. Pete Times

In our law firm’s bike giveaway “Bikes for Kids for Christmas” we were lucky enough to give 5 bicycles to some local area kids who were well deserving.  We were featured in a news article published by the St. Petersburg Times this past week and are proud to be part of this special giveaway and provide new bicycles  along with our co-sponsors, Bicycle Outfitters in Seminole, to these five children.

The article titled “Bicycle Giveaway at Seminole Shop Makes Five Youngsters Smile” features the story behind the five children and how their selection  came about. Read the article and let us know what you think about it! Bicycle safety was also a top concern and all of the children were provided helmets from the bike shop as well as a free bicycle safety precaution checklist from our firm .

We are proud to help serve and provide for children in our community.

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!

 A new research study reported on the link between lead exposure to children and permanent brain damage. According to the article, “the study was presented Tuesday at an annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, looking at the long-term effects of childhood exposure to lead. Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that lead poisoning at a young age caused damage to the regions of the brain that control how decisions are made, and the brain damage from lead exposure persists into adulthood.”

Lead poisoning is a child common injury and can result in: nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures or convulsions, growth or mental retardation, coma and even death.

Within the article, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 250,000 children in the United States have blood levels greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, which is the level that the CDC considers deserving of public health action.

Many child injury cases with lead have been brought against landlords and property owners  for failing to maintain older rental properties where children and their familes live. Parents should also be aware of chemicals in certain toys which have been recalled due to product defects.

For additional information find a related link here  from a previous blog posted on our Florida Child Injury website.

The world’s first rear-seat inflatable seat belts are being introduced by the Ford Motor Company.

Steve Rouhana, senior technical leader for safety at Ford, states that inflatable seat belts are a way to get benefits of air bags, but without the risks of swift forceful deployment.

In addition, Rouhana says it’s expected that the devices will provide more safety for children who can be more vulnerable in a crash. The seat belt will expand during an accident to cover more of a child’s torso, helping to reduce head, neck and chest injuries. In 2010, the inflatable seat belts will be offered as an option on the Ford Explorer, and added to other models later.

The inflatable seat belt’s thicker edge and padded feeling should also make it more comfortable in everyday use. The automaker hopes this will help increase the use of rear seat belts. Today, only 61 percent of rear seat passengers buckle up, compared with 82 percent of front seat passengers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Dodson Law Firm urges all drivers and passengers, young and old to wear seat belts for their protection and for the protection of those they love.