Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘hurt’

As a Clearwater child injury lawyer and an advocate for child injury prevention, I am committed to providing the public with health and safety resource information to reduce the risk of a child being needlessly hurt in accidents. Because car accidents are the leading cause of injury to children, I frequently provide information about car seat safety. So here we go!

Child Passenger Safety Week is observed every year nationwide. This year we observe it Sept. 19-25. The event sponsored by the “Safe Kids”  organization  is a time to remind parents and caregivers to keep children properly restrained in a car seat that meets their height and weight requirements – every time and everyday.

There still remains a lot of confusion particularly concerning booster seats. How do you know when your child needs one?  When can they ride without one? Booster seats when used appropriately greatly reduce the risk of  serious injury to a child  in a car accident.

 ”Boost” your knowledge about booster seats with the following info from Safe Kids:

Myth Number One

Myth: My child just turned 8 years old and I told him it was okay to not use a booster anymore. He is around 4 feet 3 inches.

Fact: Although this child is 8 years old, he is not tall enough to be out of a booster. A child needs to remain in a booster seat until a seat belt fits properly without the assistance of a booster, which is around 4 feet 9 inches. The purpose of a booster is to help position/raise a child so that the seat belt fits appropriately. If a backless booster comes with a separate shoulder belt positioning strap, use it to help with the proper adjustment of the shoulder belt. High back boosters have a factory installed positioning guide built onto the side of the booster to adjust up or down based on your child’s height. Be sure to use it for proper fit.

To determine whether your child is big enough to no longer use a booster, be sure you have him/her take The Safety Belt Fit Test . If he/she doesn’t pass all the steps, it’s not a big deal. Just be sure they continue using a booster with the seat belt, and retest in a couple months.

Myth Number Two

Myth: Boosters are not necessary for traveling short distances.

Fact: If a child meets the requirements to use a booster, then he/she needs to be in a booster at all times while driving in a car, even if you’re going around the corner to drop your child off at school or a friend’s house, or to pick up groceries at the local store.

Myth Number Three

Myth: Sometimes when I’m driving a lot of kids around (for example carpooling to a birthday party), I don’t have enough boosters for everyone. Since this only happens occasionally I don’t see it as a problem.

Fact: If a child needs a booster at any time, then he/she needs a booster ALL the time. If you don’t have enough boosters, never hesitate to borrow one from the families you are carpooling with. In fact, if all the children in the carpool cannot be properly restrained, then they shouldn’t be in the car.

Tune in tomorrow for Myths Number 4 and 5 and additional child safety seat information on our law firm’s Florida Child Injury Law blog.

In chapter  one of “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries: A Parent’s Guide to Child Injury in Florida,”  I discuss the tragic fact  that  motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injuries to children. Almost 700 children are hurt in car accidents each day and 2,000 children die from injuries in car accidents each year.

We all know the importance of having our children/grandchildren safely secured in an age appropriate child safety device in our cars. But  if their restraint is not installed correctly or is not being used properly your child is at great risk of serious harm.

Did you know 4 out of 5 car seats are not installed properly? Could yours be one of them? Get your child’s car seat checked by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. Here’s some helpful info on an upcoming safety event:

Where: All Children’s Specialty Care of Pasco

                  4443 Rowan Rd.

                  New Port Richey, Fl

When: Friday August 27, 2010 9:00am – 12:00pm

Appointments are required: Call 727-834-5403 to schedule yours!

What Parents Need to Do: Provide the age and weight for each child under 8 when making the appointment. Bring the child to the fitting station appointment using the child’s current car seat. Allow at least 20 to 30 minutes for each seat to be checked. Be prepared to purchase a replacement child restraint if the current restraint is unsafe. There are no free child restraints at fitting stations. Seats are replaced AT COST. Provide the vehicle owner’s manual. Provide the child restraint instructions.

For additional locations, times and dates of more car safety seat inspection events, click here.

Reminder, you must make an appointment and it’s always best to call first to verify times and locations.

The Dodson Law Firm, Working to Make Safety Every Child’s Reality!

Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson is the author of  “When Kids’s Suffer Big Injuries,” available for free by calling 1.888.340.0840 or online at http://www.childinjurylawyerflorida.com/reports/florida-child-injury-consumer-guide-free-child-injury-book-must-read.cfm. If your child was injured due to the carelessness of another person, Jim provides answers to many of  your questions and concerns in his book or if you prefer, feel free to  call our office and speak to Judi to arrange a time to talk to Jim  directly.

This past week the U.S. Product Safety Commission together with McDonald’s announced a voluntary recall of 12 million “Shrek Forever After 3D” drinking glasses. 

 The reason behind the recall is that the designs on the glasses contain cadmium.  Long exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects.  There are also environmental concerns related to cadmium. 

 These glasses were sold exclusively at McDonald’s restaurants throughout the United States for the last two years.  McDonald’s is asking consumers to stop using the glasses immediately.  Visit http://www.mcdonalds.comfor additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund or call toll free at (800) 244-6227.

 The Dodson Law Firm has a long history of successfully representing those who have been hurt in accidents or injured due to the carelessness of another person.

 If you or a loved one has been injured, you have questions concerning your legal rights. Call our toll free number at (888) 340-0840 to get answers or to schedule a free case review today with Jim Dodson.

A serial flasher has been targeting Pasco County school children for the last month.

 The first incident appeared to happen weeks earlier when a young girl en route to school was flashed.  None of the children have been physically hurt. 

 Kevin Doll, Pasco Sheriff spokesperson alerted parents to use caution. “Keep an eye out for their kids who are either walking to school, riding their bikes to school…because this suspect has been operating in the morning hours while kids are going to school, or in the afternoon when they’re coming home from school, ” Doll said.

 Surveillance has been conducted at several schools where some of the incidents occurred, but detectives have not been able to track the suspect down.