Articles Posted in Injuries to Minors and Children

Now that summer is winding down to a close, many parents are looking forward to the start of a new school year. This is a good time to not only buy back-to-school supplies but also a good time to review safety tips and lessons to ensure that your children stay safe at school. A good place to start is to carefully weigh transportation options to and from school. Miami traffic accidents are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities to children and teens and your children will be in traffic at least twice a day every school day.

If the bus is an option, this can be a good solution since Miami bus accidents are far less common than Miami car accidents. If the bus does not seem like a viable option, consider carpooling or walking. Walking can be great exercise for your children but make sure that you review the route your children take to school. Is it safe? A high-traffic area which requires your children to cross several busy intersections can be a problem. If walking is an option, consider getting your children to walk to school with friends. This is safer and makes the group of children more visible to drivers as well. Of you decide to drive your child to school, consider carpooling. This will ensure that you will not always be rushing and tired when driving, as it will reduce some of the pressure on you. Carefully review the routes to find the best route for you. Near the school, determine the best and safest place to park. Ideally, your parking spot should allow your children to walk into the school without having to dodge multiple cars and buses. Many schools have drop-off zones which allow parents to drop children off into pedestrian-only areas.

Make sure your children know the basics of personal safety. When your children are at school, they will be relying on their own understanding of safety to stay safe. With young children, especially, it is important to review safety rules often to prevent Miami burn injuries and other types of injuries on school grounds.

Work with your school to ensure that school is safe for everyone. Your child’s school should have written policies about safety and bullying. Review them. Be especially vigilant about sports-related safety. If your child takes part in sports, they should have all needed safety equipment (including a helmet, if required) and should have adequate help in the event of a Miami head injury.

Get involved at your child’s school so that you can see for yourself what efforts are made to keep everyone safe. If you notice room for improvement or things that need change, speak up and work together with the school and with other parents to make the needed changes. All students will benefit.

Continue reading →

At this time of year, teens are looking forward to proms, graduation, and other milestone events. While these are joyous occasions, each year teens are seriously injured and killed while driving to and from these events. As teens celebrate, drinking and reckless driving sometimes affect judgment and cause serious Miami car accidents as well as injuries to Miami minors and teens. There are several things that parents can do, however:

1) Make plans to ensure your teen is not in a Miami drunk driving accident. Many parents assume that their teen will not drink at prom or at graduation, but studies show that a majority of teens experiment at least a few times with alcohol and drugs before graduation. Even if a teen does not drink or do drugs, friends who are driving may, putting your child at risk. The best option is to discuss drinking with your child. Make sure that your teen has plenty of money for a cab as well as a list of contact numbers they can contact to get a safe ride home. Make sure that your teen knows that they will not be punished for contacting you for a safe ride home.

2) Consider leaving the driving to a professional. Renting a limousine is a tradition at many proms and graduations. It can also ensure that your teen does not need to worry about distracted driving or drunk driving. Just ensure that the limo service is reputable.

3) Find out what the school’s safety plans are. Most schools have policies in place to keep teens safe. Find out what the policies are and consider working with other parents to ensure that the planned events are as safe as possible.

4) Establish rules for the big night. These rules might include rules about distracted driving or rules about the number of passengers in your teen’s car. They may include a curfew or a specific time when your teen should check in with you by phone.

5) Make sure that any fireworks are taken care of by professionals. Shooting off fireworks can lead to Miami burn injuries, eye injuries, and other serious injuries. Make sure your teens know the dangers of fireworks and leave these types of displays to the professionals.

6) Sign a pledge with your child. Signing a pledge promising not to drive distracted or drunk can open up a discussion between you and your teen and can prompt your teen to make the right decisions before graduation.

7) Consider passengers. If your teen will be driving themselves to graduation, prom, graduation parties, and other events, consider limiting the number of teen passengers in your teen’s car. Recent studies have shown that the risk of car collisions increases with every teen passenger in a car. You may need to pay for transportation or arrange alternate transportation for your child and their friends, but it can help prevent distracted driving.

Continue reading →

There are many resources online that can teach your kids the basics about safety while also letting your kids have fun. Online resources are often kid-friendly and fun while teaching your children the skills they need to help prevent Miami personal injuries. Check out these resources to keep your children entertained and safe this summer:

1) Resources for helping prevent Miami burn injuries. The U.S. Fire Administration has a number of great resources for children (http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtm). The page has games, tips, and a way for children to become a junior fire marshal. Be sure to check out Smokey’s website for kids as well (http://www.smokeybear.com/). That site contains useful material about preventing fires. The Sparky website (http://www.sparky.org/) is a very interactive page with cartoons, activities, and more.

2) Resources for helping to prevent general Miami personal injuries. FEMA has a site for kids (http://www.ready.gov/kids/) which shows kids the basics of emergency preparedness. Free for Kids has a website (http://www.free-for-kids.com/childrens-safety-resources.shtml) with printable posters and activity sheets that teach children the basics of safety.

Most children today do sign up for summer activities, ranging from summer sports to summer school programs, camps, and other recreation opportunities. While accidents at camp and other summer activities are rare, they do occur and the results can be devastating. To prevent your child from becoming a Miami personal injury victim, make sure that you:

1) Research the program’s safety record. Before signing up your child in any summer program, find out whether the program is considered safe. Where possible, speak to other parents who have taken part in the program. Go online to find out whether children have been injured. More established programs with trained staff and a good reputation often offer parents some added peace of mind.

2) Ask specific questions about supervision. Who will be responsible for your children during the summer events? Do these people have references? What is the screening program for these employees? How will children be supervised at the program? Is there someone present who has first aid training? If your children will be driven to the program, check the driving record of the person who will be driving. While Miami school bus accidents are rare, they do occur.

3) Get details about the program. What activities will be involved? What is the risk for each activity? The more you know about a program, the more you can determine how risky the program is.

4) Consider your insurance. If the worst happens and your child is injured, what type of insurance will cover the injuries? Consider speaking with your insurance provider to see whether there is additional coverage for your child available, if you feel you need it.

5) Make sure your children have any safety equipment needed. If your child will be taking part in any sports activities or in any activities that require safety equipment, confirm whether you are expected to provide the equipment yourself. Make sure that your child has the equipment needed to keep them safe and to prevent Miami brain injuries.

6) Visit the program if you can and take note of safety features. If your child is going to camp, for example, make time to visit the camp and to check safety equipment, including life jackets for any boating activities and other safety features. If safety equipment is missing or in poor shape, this could indicate a problem that could endanger your child. Responsible summer programs put safety first and are proud to show you the steps they have taken to keep your child safe.

7) Make sure your child is prepared to be safe. Even if the summer program you have chosen takes extensive measures to keep your child safe, that will not mean much if your child takes risks. Make sure that your child is aware of safety rules and knows how to stay safe.

Continue reading →

According to a recent new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fatal injuries among US children are the on the decline, falling nearly 30% in the past ten years. However, the same study found that infant suffocation and fatal poisoning among teens have actually increased across the country. Despite some of the good news, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still reports that unintentional injuries are still the leading cause of death for children and minors across the US. These injuries claimed more than 9000 lives in 2009 alone.

According to the study, the rate of fatal unintentional injuries among minors in the US was almost twice the rate in other developed nations listed by the World Health Organization. Car accidents also continue to be a major cause of concern. While the incidents of car accidents declined 41% between 2000 and 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents continue to be the leading cause of fatalities to minors.

According to the CDC, improved training programs for new drivers and new safety technology for cars has improved the fatality rates but there is still much work to be done. In 2009 alone, statistics show that car accidents accounted for 67% of unintentional injury fatalities for the 5-19 years old age group and 28% of fatalities for those in the 15-19 age group.

Despite the statistics, the CDC and other experts agree that there is much that parents can do to help prevent Miami injuries to teens and children:

1) Keep medication in a safe place. According to the CDC, poisoning fatalities have jumped almost 91% between 2000 and 2009 for those between the ages of 15 and 19. In many cases, these occur due to overdoses of prescription drugs, so storing and using prescription medication is crucial in preventing these types of incidents.

2) Keep toys and bedding out of infant cribs, and be scrupulous about using safe cribs. According to the CDC, the infant suffocation rate increased 54% between 2000 and 2009. Many of these deaths are preventable if an infant is put to sleep in a safe crib, on their back, alone, and with no soft bedding, toys, or other hazards.

3) Let children ride the back seat of the car and use age-appropriate safety restraints. Miami car accidents are still a leading cause of injuries, including Miami brain injuries. Using child safety seats and then booster seats when applicable ensures that in the event of an accident a child is kept safer from harm.

4) Use proper supervision. In many cases, accidents can be avoided if children are carefully supervised. Using babysitting services and setting up a supervision system with family can help ensure that children stay safe.

Continue reading →

Parents may worry that their teens may get into a North Bay Village car accident, but far before teens have driving privileges, many are using ATVs to enjoy a taste of freedom. However, as many experts and law enforcement authorities point out, ATVs lead to North Bay Village personal injuries each year. The recreational vehicles may not require a driver’s license, but they can be as deadly as a car, and they are intended for adults, not children.
According to the organization Concerned Families for ATV Safety, between 1997 and 2006 there was a 150% jump in injuries to minors and children from ATV accidents and hospitalization for head trauma tripled during the same period. ATVs can roll over more easily than cars can and can trap children underneath. They can also cause fractures, amputations, and other severe injuries, including North Bay Village brain injuries. In many cases, children drive ATVs over rough terrain – ATVs are not designed for use of roadways – and the unstable and uneven terrain can make North Bay Village ATV accidents even more of a risk. Parents who are concerned should keep the following guidelines in mind:

1) Do not allow children under the age of 16 to drive ATVs. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and many other professional groups believe that children under the age of 16 should not be allowed to ride on ATVs, as they lack the coordination and the judgment to do so safely.

2) Insist that helmets are used by ATV users. Since head injuries are one of the most common injuries caused by ATVs, and since ATVs provide less protection for this type of injury than passenger cars, wearing a helmet when on an ATV is just as important as wearing a seatbelt in a car. Just as the seatbelt can protect you from a head injury in the event of a North Bay Village car accident, the helmet can reduce the risk of a head injury in an ATV accident.

3) Do not permit ATV passengers. ATVs are not designed for passengers. This means that parents need to be cautious if their children’s friends have ATVs – children may be tempted to catch a ride on a friend’s ATV, especially if they cannot try an ATV at home. Riding tandem also increases the risk of an accident and injury.

4) If your children decide at age 16 that they are interested in ATVs, get them a hands-on safety course. Many communities offer these courses, and they are a very smart investment. In many ATV crashes, inexperience is a major cause for the crash, so getting instruction about ATV safety is important in preventing accidents.

Continue reading →

Bullying has become a serious problem – and one that results in serious injuries. When bullying takes place, it can cause serious Miami injuries to minors and children. Children who are bullied may suffer from Miami brain injuries, broken bones, and other serious injuries. In some tragic cases, victims of bullying sustain fatal injuries or end up committing suicide due to the trauma of the abuse. In most cases, bullying leads to distress, upset, anxiety, and even depression. While there is more awareness than ever before about bullying and its effects, many children today still are victimized in this manner.

Schools have an obligation to ensure that students are safe. While many schools do have policies in place to prevent bullying, some parents are frustrated about school response when bullying does happen. When schools fail to do so, parents of victimized children can bring about legal action against the school. There are many reasons why parents of a bullied child may have a legal case against a school:

1) The school knew about the bullying or should have known but failed to act on it. One of the most distressing things about bullying is that it often goes under-reported and unnoticed until the violence escalates. In many cases, staff at schools notice something amiss or should notice the bullying but either fail to notice or fail to do something about the problem. In some cases, even after parents report bullying the school does not take enough steps to halt the problem.

2) The school had no policy in place to protect students. While many schools today have some written policy regarding violence and bullying, some schools do not do enough to make their policies clear and fail to enforce written policies.

3) The school had conditions which allowed bullying to take place. In some cases, a parent may have a Miami premises liability case, if the school fails to properly supervise school areas or fails to provide a safe environment. If some areas, for example, have poor lighting or other unsafe conditions which allow injuries to take place, parents may have a case.

If your child has sustained a serious injury due to bullying at school, you will want to contact a Miami personal injury attorney to find out whether you have a case. An experienced attorney can investigate the bullying at your child’s school and determine whether the school did everything possible to keep your child safe. In many cases, parents find that schools and school boards are more willing to work to end bullying in cases where an attorney is involved. An attorney can also help you seek compensation if Florida law makes you eligible for it. This money can help pay for your child’s medical bills and for other expenses related to the injuries.

Continue reading →

Miami parents send their children to school each day, hoping that schools provide a safe and productive learning environment. Unfortunately, some injuries to Miami children and teens occur in schools each year, and some of the injuries are serious enough to cause permanent disability or many months of recovery time. When the worst happens, one of the first issues is who is responsible for the various types of injuries and accidents which can take place at schools:

1) School bus injuries. While Miami school bus accidents are rarer than Miami car accidents, they do occur. Due to the size of school buses and due to the fact that students in school buses do not wear seat belts, the injuries which can result from school bus accidents can be serious. Schools and school boards have a responsibility to hire safe bus drivers and to maintain buses in good condition. When they fail to do so, parents can launch legal action if the lack of care results in an accident and injury.

2) Recreation-related and sports injuries. Thanks to increased attention to Miami brain injuries and new research about brain injuries, we are more aware than ever before about the long-term impact of head injuries sustained during sports. School sports, especially contact sports, can result in long-term injury and even permanent injuries. In some cases, school recreation-related and sports injuries can even be fatal. It is expected that schools take all due precautions to ensure that school athletes and school recreation options are safe.

3) Playground injuries. Some schools have been removing playground equipment because some types of equipment can cause serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and head injuries. However, even a playground without equipment can be unsafe if there is inadequate supervision or other unsafe conditions.

4) Class trip injuries. When a school group takes a class trip or a field trip, the school remains equally responsible for the students, just as if students were on school property. If a student is injured on a class trip and it is because the school or school board failed to take proper precautions in keeping the students safe, the family of the injured child may have a case.

Florida law does allow parents to pursue a case when school administrators and officials knew about a problem or should have known about a problem but failed to fix the issue. In these situations, parents can seek compensation for medical costs and other costs related to the accident. Schools are protected by school boards, unions, and attorneys. If your child has been injured at school, it is important to safeguard your child’s future by speaking with a Miami personal injury attorney. An experienced attorney can help apprise you of your rights and options and can help you understand how much your case is worth, so that you have the facts in hand to make the right decision for your child.

Continue reading →

There is nothing more terrifying for a parent than a childhood injury. Each year, hundreds of thousands of children across the US are admitted to emergency rooms with childhood injuries. In many cases, these injuries are preventable. While parents can’t do everything to prevent simple accidents, experts agree that there are many things that parents can do:

1) Avoid distracted parenting. Research has proven it: just as distracted driving often leads to Florida car accidents, distracted parenting can make parents make mistakes. Parenting is a stressful job, which is why it is important that parents take good care of themselves and get help when needed. Help and support ensure that parents are rested and ready to be vigilant about safety.

2) Know what your children are doing – and where they are. Whether you keep a list of your child’s friends and phone numbers on hand or use a cell phone to easily communicate with your child, knowing what your child is up to and taking an active interest in their life is important. This allows you to notice and target any behaviors that can lead to an injury. Knowing that your child is not wearing a helmet while biking, for example, is the first step to having a talk about the importance of preventing Florida brain injuries and bicycle accidents.

3) Secure the pool. If you have a pool, use a self-locking gate, pool cover, and alarm system to ensure that no child can wander into the pool area. Unfortunately, Florida pool drownings and injuries are a common cause of childhood injuries and fatalities across the state.

4) Avoid Florida car accidents and car accident injuries. Children spend a lot of time in cars, being ferried to school and activities. In fact, car accidents are a leading cause of death for children of all ages. In a car accident, children are more likely to be flung about and ejected from their seat, unless they are wearing the correct safety restraints. As well, children are more likely to be injured by adult seat belts and air bags in an accident. Invest in a good, age-appropriate safety restraint and use it faithfully each time your children are in the car.

5) Secure windows. Each year, Florida children are seriously injured and even killed in falls from windows. Whether you live in a high-rise apartment or a two-storey home, securing windows with bars or gates is important to ensure that children cannot climb onto the window ledge and fall.

6) Do a safety audit of your home. It is important to periodically check the safety of your home with a walk-through. Create a simple check list that you can use to check for basic safety items and concerns. For example, if you have very small children you may want to check that all electrical outlets are covered. You will want to check that your fire alarms are operational and that all aerosols and chemicals are stored in a safe and locked area.

Continue reading →

More than fifty percent of high school students play some type of sport in after-school or in-school programs. However, experts say that sports injuries among children are increasing. Some statistics also show that girls are especially vulnerable, and have twice the rate of concussions as well as a greater chance of sustaining serious sprains and fractures, when compared with boys. Part of the problem is that girls use their quadriceps more than their hamstrings as well as their ligaments more than their muscles for running and jumping, increasing risk of injury.

The according to pediatricians and other experts, there are many things that parents can do to keep both boys and girls safe from sports-related personal injuries:

1) Make sure your child has all the right safety gear for her sports – and uses it every time. This is especially important in terms of mouth guards and helmets, if your child plays a sport that requires them. A good helmet that is properly fitted and worn every time your child plays can vastly reduce the risk of your child’s sustaining a serious Florida brain injury. Your child’s coach or a local sporting supply store can help you understand what safety equipment your child needs. Consider buying equipment even if your child is given safety equipment at school. If your child has their own equipment, you can ensure the best quality and a better fit, ensuring greater safety.

2) Make sure that the gear fits correctly and is replaced as needed. The safety equipment for sports wears out quickly and as children grow, the equipment may need to be replaced frequently to ensure a proper fit. A helmet that has been in an impact should be replaced with a new one to provide full protection against brain injuries. Periodically check the quality and condition of your child’s safety equipment and upgrade as needed.

3) Encourage your child to get some additional strength training. This improves overall fitness and may reduce the risk for some types of injuries.

4) Sign up for after-school activities that have a good safety record. Parents who take an active interest in the safety records of after school programs can potentially notice problems and address them before an injury occurs. Ensuring that children are encouraged to play safely and always wear the right equipment goes a long way towards ensuring that your child’s after school or in school sporting activities are safe.

Continue reading →