Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Florida child injury lawyer’

Information surfaced recently that TASER International, a leading provider in technology solutions, would be unveiling a new platform designed to help parents monitor their children. 

 The product is called PROTECTOR.   It’s an extraordinary toolset that gives parents the ability to monitor  their child or teen’s cell phone usage as well as driving habits. Parents will have the opportunity to manage the contact lists and content of their child’s mobile phone.  The intent is to help parents help their children.   Calls, texts, emails, photos and videos can all be monitored.  Phone functionality can also be limited to stop dangerous distractions while driving.  

 PROTECTOR works on multiple devices and is accessible through smart phones, PC’s Mac’s or smart TV’s.  Permissions and settings can be changed in real time.  Interested parties can call TASER International at (800) 978-2737 or visit their website at www.TASER.com.

SafeKids Worldwide, together with Fed EX, have created a program called “Safe Kids Walk This Way” in order to educate both  motorists and child pedestriansbout proper safety behaviors;  and create safer routes for children to walk.

The two organizations collaborate in more than 150 cities to host walk to school events. In the United States, these events take place on International Walk to School Day. This event is slated for October 6^th later this year.  “Safe Kids Walk This Way” initiates year-round school safety committees in order for students to have safer pedestrian environments.

 Safe Kids has posted some invaluable pedestrian safety rules on their website.  Children can be careless at times, spending five minutes with you child(ren) to reinforce some good rules of common sense is well worth the time and will protect your child from unintentional injury or potential dangers!

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.

We all know how much children love to play.  It’s part of how they lead active and happy lives.  Falls among children are common, and at certain stages of their development happen almost every day.  However they can be serious…in fact falls are the leading cause of accidental injury for children. 

 Statistics from SafeKids.org  state children, 4 years of age and under, have the greatest risk for falls.  This age group accounts for 56 percent of childhood fall-related deaths and more than 40 percent of child injuries.

 Parents must be vigilant and keep a keen eye out in their home.  In fact, 80 percent of fall-related injuries among children ages 4 and under, occur right in their own house. 

 Knowledge is key to safety and injury prevention!  For tips on what you should know to prevent fall injuries and the steps to take, if your child does suffer a fall at home, please follow this link to an article posted in our Florida child injury website document library for more information.

The cold and flu season is upon us. But as we know, cold medicine can potentially pose a risk for your child.  In recent years, the FDA has posted recommendations that parents should not administer over the counter cough and cold medicines to infants and toddlers under 2 years of age.  These medications can cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects to young children in this age group.

 It’s important to remember that OTC cough and cold products do not treat the cause of the illness, rather it only combats the symptoms.    

 The FDA has not completed its review of information regarding the safety of OTC products in regard to children in the age range of 2-11.  However they do have reports of serious side effects from children in this group that have taken these medications.

The CDC recently made its own recommendations concerning OTC medications stating in response to safety concerns, the leading manufacturers of children’s cough and cold medicines are voluntarily changing the labels on these products to state that they should not be used in children younger than 4 years of age.

Previously, the labels stated that these medicines should not be given to children under age 2. Products with the old labels will not be removed immediately from store shelves but are expected to gradually be replaced with products bearing the new labels. Doctors and nurses should be aware of the new labels and alert parents and caregivers about this important change.

When in doubt always consult your pediatrician before administering  OTC mediations to your child.

The day and age of mercury thermometers are over.  If you still have one lying around your house you should dispose of it, especially if you have young children.

 The old glass thermometers can break and cause cuts, as well as expose young children to mercury.  Dr. Lois Lee, a physician at Children’s Hospital Boston sees the problem as two-fold.  Lee states if a mercury thermometer breaks, a child may require  imaging procedures to locate pieces of glass, which exposes a youngster to radiation, especially during computed tomography scans, also known as CAT scans.  This is especially pertinent because children are much more sensitive to radiation than adults are, according to the National Cancer Institute.  It’s important, therefore,  to be safe and reduce exposure. 

Additionally, the old mercury thermometers hold particular dangers if the mercury spills. When this happens, the mercury forms droplets that can accumulate in tiny spaces and emit vapors into the air. Mercury vapor is odorless, colorless and toxic. One-half gram of mercury from a broken thermometer can detectably pollute 5 million gallons of water, if it is washed down a sink. Whole families have been poisoned at home from mercury spills which were not cleaned up or were cleaned up with an ordinary vacuum cleaner. Children are at highest risk.

The small volume of mercury in a fever thermometer is not likely to cause a problem, but should still be promptly cleaned up.  Digital thermometers are much easier to read and don’t expose a child to the dangers mercury poses. 

Find out more about digital thermometers and the options available.

In a press release stating a recent highchair recall, IKEA offically is recalling Leopard highchairs which are being sold in their stores. 

This is a voluntary recall of 600 LEOPARD highchairs sold at IKEA stores from October through November 2009.

FROM THE CPSC:

Name of Product: LEOPARD Highchairs

Units: About 600

Distributor: IKEA Home Furnishings, of Conshohocken, Pa.

Hazard: The snap locks used to secure the seat to the frame can break and allow the seat and child to drop through the frame, posing a fall hazard to young children. Detached snap locks can pose a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: IKEA has received 11 reports worldwide of failing snap locks, including one report of a child falling through the frame and suffering bruised legs. In addition, the firm has one report of a child mouthing a detached snap lock. No incidents have been reported in the United States.

Description: This recall involves all colors of the LEOPARD highchairs sold as a seat and a frame individually. The seat and tray has an adhesive label affixed to the underside with the words LEOPARD and “Made in Italy,” an eight-digit article number and a five-digit supplier number (19589).

Sold exclusively at: IKEA stores nationwide from October 2009 through November 2009 for about $60. The frame sold for $40 and the seat for $20.

Manufactured in: Italy

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the highchairs and return them to any IKEA store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact IKEA toll-free at (888) 966-4532 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.ikea-usa.com

A recent study from the  Tampa Tribune states Florida reports 200 cases of child abuse which tragically resulted in death.

The deaths from 2008 from 2007 show a 20% increase in deaths from child abuse. The study shows a strong link to unemployment and drug abuse.

According to the article, “Florida has one of the highest per-capita rates of child deaths reported to the state abuse hotline in the country, partly because its figures count such events as car accidents, drownings and suicides, which aren’t included in most other states.”

The Department of Children and Families serves as a hotline for child abuse cases. We all woud like this number to be less and less every year.

Skateboarding is a popular recreational activity, particularly among young teenage males. If your child is a skateboarder, chances are you know who Tony Hawk is.  You may have even bought his Xbox game! 

Skateboarding is an activity in which you move quickly over hard surfaces. It can lead to injuries that range from minor cuts and bruises to catastrophic brain injury. Each year in the United States, skateboarding injuries cause about 50,000 visits to emergency departments and 1500 children and adolescents to be hospitalized.

To improve skateboarding safety, a growing number of communities provide supervised skateboard parks. These may have professionally designed “bowls” and “ramps” or other designated skateboarding areas that are located away from motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Naturally injuries can occur but they can be limited if your child follows a few safety tips. 

 1. Always wear a properly fitting helmet and protective gear.  Padding is available for wrists, knees and elbows. 

 2. Learn how to fall.  Landing on a fleshy part of the body is always best.  Try to relax rather than stiffen your body in a fall. If you are losing your balance, crouch down on the skateboard so you won’t have as far to fall.

 3. Practice common sense.  Avoid skateboarding at dusk or evening hours.  Never “skitch” a ride.  Skitching a ride is when a skateboarder hangs onto the rear or side of a moving vehicle.

 4. Use a quality skateboard and keep it in top condition, looking for needed repairs with every ride. 

To reduce the chance of skateboarding injuries, practice skateboarding safety and always use protective gear.

The holiday season is upon us.  As we shop for our children, we always have to keep safety in mind.

 Some positive information has recently been released…the amount of lead in children’s toys has been steadily decreasing over the last three years.  The rationale is that consumer pressure is influencing this change. 

Despite this positive news, HealthyStuff.org, a not-for-profit dedicated to product safety, found that 1 out of 3 toys tested, contained one or more harmful chemicals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.  To get a complete list of the toys that tested with high amounts of lead, please visit HealthyStuff.org.  For some tips on shopping for safe toys, check out KidsHealth.org.

 The Dodson Law Firm wishes everyone a very safe Holiday Season.