Articles Posted in Injuries to Minors and Children

Although Florida bus accidents are not very common, any bus accident is too many. Bus accidents lead to fatalities, permanent disability, brain injuries, broken limbs, disfigurement, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, and much more. Obviously, they also cause immense distress for entire families. Since children are small and since most buses do not have safety belts, even minor accidents in a school bus can lead to serious injuries for children and minors.

Statistics show that, on average, about 20 students are killed each year in bus accidents. Another 6000 students are injured in bus-related accidents annually. While small buses that weigh less than 10,000 pounds are required by federal law to have seat belts, larges buses of at least 25,000 pounds do not need seat belts. Many experts think that increased seat belt availability would decrease fatalities and injuries, but not all experts agree. According to 2002 findings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts that close around the lap increase the chances that a child in a school bus accident will sustain serious abdominal or neck injuries. The same study concluded that most children and minors wear shoulder-style safety belts incorrectly and therefore run greater chances of more injury.

According to the National Safety Council students can decrease their risk of injury during the school year by:

The National Research Council has found that school buses are actually much safer for children than being dropped off at school by their parents. Nevertheless, for every family that has lost a child to a school bus accident, school bus accidents — even if they constitute only a small percentage of vehicle accidents — still occur far too often. Now that back-to-school season is almost here for Florida families, many Florida parents are thinking about back to school safety. Bus safety is a big part of that.

A school bus accident is every parent’s nightmare. Although these accidents do not often happen, they can cause fatalities, permanent injury, brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and other serious injuries. The panic after an accident, when parents try to learn whether their children are injured, is often deeply frightening and traumatic for the whole family.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, almost one million public school students rode on school buses in 2001 alone. Between1998 and 2002, 4,830 school buses in Florida were involved in accidents. These accidents involved 53 children who were outside a bus and 32,207 children who were inside a school bus. As a result of these accidents, there were six child fatalities. Four of these children were killed getting off and on a bus while two children were killed in the bus. 56 injuries were so severe that they required emergency treatment as a result of these accidents.

Pedestrian accidents claim the lives of many minors and children, and cause a host of injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other serious lifelong injuries. Since children are likely to be on foot, and since they often do not show the same alertness and awareness of cars around them as adults do, they’re more likely to be in a pedestrian accident. Because of their relatively small size and weight, they’re more likely to suffer fatal or serious injuries as a result of a collision with a motor vehicle.

According to USA Safekids.org, 599 pedestrian fatalities in 2002 involved children 14 years of age and younger. Almost 38,400 children ages 14 and under suffered pedestrian accident injuries that required hospital emergency treatment in 2003. USA Safekids.org reports that there are several things that parents can do to reduce childhood pedestrian accidents:

1) Teach children to be alert in areas where pedestrian accidents are more likely to occur. USA Safekids.org reports that children who are 14 years of age and under are more likely to be in a pedestrian accident in areas with no divided highways, high volume traffic, , a high number of parked vehicles on the street, and higher posted speed limits. Children should be supervised in such areas and should be taught to identify and show greater caution in such areas.

According to media reports this summer, Florida leads the states in the number of children who are drowned in swimming pools. Now that summer has arrived, many families turn to swimming pools to beat the heat. However, many state experts claim that the habit leads to many fatalities as well as a wide range of injuries that include spinal cord injuries, broken limbs, brain injuries, and other problems. Unfortunately, children are most likely to be injured in swimming pools.

Earlier this summer, a six-year-old girl drowned at a pool party in Jacksonville. There were about six children in the pool and adults nearby, but no one saw the girl go under the surface. She was taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Unfortunately, this story is one of many tragedies that involves pools in Florida.

Experts agree that swimming lessons and training at an early age can help prevent pool accidents. Pool safety equipment can also be a good idea. However, many experts and parents think that equipment and lessons alone cannot help. They point out that in many cases safety-vacuum release systems may be answer. However, this has caused a great deal of controversy in Florida.

A very common injury to minors and children that most Florida parents do not even consider occurs when children’s clothing catches on fire, causing burn injuries. Clothing can burn when it comes into contact with high heat or an open flame. Sometimes, even a spark can cause clothes to burn. Children and adults can come into contact with cigarettes, candles, space heaters, grills, and flammable liquids, all of which can cause clothes to go up in flames. Children will sometimes play with matches and accidentally light their clothes on fire.

Children are especially vulnerable to injuries from flammable clothes because their clothing is often made of soft, thin fabric that easily burns – flannel and cotton. Unlike adults, children who find that their clothes are on fire may panic and might not know to “stop, drop, and roll.” Plus, children’s clothing tends to have a much smaller surface area, which means that flame can envelop the clothes – and the children – very quickly.

In some cases, flammable children’s clothing is a products liability issue. The Consumer Product Safety Commission oversees fabric flammability regulations. There are strict U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standards under the Flammable Fabrics Act that are meant to protect consumers from injuries caused by flammable clothing. However, not every imported fabric or item of clothing meets the standards.

The Flammable Fabrics Act prevents dangerously flammable clothing from being imported or sold. The Consumer Products Safety Commission runs tests to determine the safety of various clothing items and fabrics and recalls any clothing that fails a flammability test. Children’s sleepwear and mattresses and mattress pads have a stricter test they must pass in order to gain approval by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. However, the Consumer Products Safety Commission is not always able to test all products in time and injuries still can result.

Parents can keep their children safe by examining fabrics and clothing for safety. Read the label – some fabrics are clearly marked as being tested. Also, select snugger fitting clothing for children. It is less likely to go up in flame so fast. Children three and older can be taught to stop, drop, and roll. Practice with children so that they know what to do. The best prevention, of course, is to make sure that children are not at risk of burn injuries. Keep flammable liquids, matches, and lighters well out of children’s reach and supervise children to ensure that they do not play with fire. Check space heaters and other appliances to ensure that they are in good shape and do not give off too much heat. Make sure that heaters and other household appliances have not been recalled due to fire hazard. Any recalled products should be returned to the store at once.

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There are many types of injuries to minors and children. Some result from playground accidents or childhood accidents, but perhaps the more insidious injuries occur because someone deliberately harms a child. No parent wants to consider abduction as a possibility, but each in Florida and across the country, child abduction can occur.

Child abduction creates many hazards for a child. If a child is abducted by a stranger, that stranger obviously does not usually have the child’s best interests at heart. The abductor may harm the child intentionally. Even in custody cases where a parent abducts a child from a custodial parent, though, injuries can occur. The abducting parent may be distracted and may get into a car accident while trying to leave with the child, for example. The parent may even be neglectful accidentally, due to the stress of trying to conceal his or her whereabouts.

According to The United States Department of Justice, 49% of all child kidnappings are committed by a relative, often a parent. 27% of all child kidnappings are committed by someone the child knows. The United States Department of Justice reports that parents can help reduce the possibility of kidnapping by:

Many serious injuries to minors and children occur to those who are least able to defend themselves: infants. Infants have few instincts to protect themselves and most homes contain enough dangers to cause everything from burn injuries to brain injuries and broken bones. You can prevent serious injuries in your home by baby-proofing your home. You can do this by:

1) Getting safety latches or locks for bathroom cabinets and kitchen drawers and cupboards. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that these are needed on any drawers and cupboards where you store household chemicals, small items, and sharp objects. Latches and locks can prevent poisonings and other injuries. Door locks and door knob covers are other important safety devices that can help prevent kinds from entering dangerous areas such as spas, saunas, and pools.
2) Install safety gates. These should be installed at the top and bottom of any stairs in your home, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Safety gates can help prevent falls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that parents look for the safety certification seal from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) on any safety gate they buy.

3) Install scalding controls. These controls for your faucets can prevent burn injuries from hot water.

4) Add window guards to all windows and safety netting below landings and decks. These devices can help prevent falls, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

5) Apply edge bumpers and corner bumpers to sharp edges on your furniture, walls, and fireplace. These can help prevent bumps and cuts. Many parents do not realize how sharp furniture can be for young arms and legs.

6) Install outlet covers and plates on all electrical outlets. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that these can help prevent electrocution.

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While injuries to Florida minors and children are always tragic, injuries and accidents that occur to babies can be especially tragic. Since babies are so fragile, even minor accidents and injuries can have serious repercussions. Plus, since infants are not able to talk, injuries may go unnoticed and determining what is wrong can be challenging. It is not always possible to notice a brain injury or even a skin problem at once, which is why it is crucial to take children to see a medical professional if any injury has occurred. Once infants become more mobile, especially, their curiosity and desire to explore can lead them into dangerous situations. Parents can reduce infant injuries by:

1) Look at their homes from an infant’s perspective. Get down on your hands and kneed and you will quickly see the dangerous items within a child’s reach. Remove every fragile item that can be broken as well as anything that can be placed in the infant’s mouth and may cause a choking hazard. Check each room on your hands and knees, collecting small and potentially hazardous items. You will have to do this regularly, since some of the commonplace objects that can fall on the floor – including pens, buttons, and other items – can be dangerous for an infant.

2) Check your baby’s clothes. Not all clothes are safe. Any too-large item can pose a choking hazard if your infant struggles out of the clothing. No infant’s clothing should have drawstrings, headbands, ribbons, strips of fabric or loose strings – all can be dangerous, as can necklaces. Simple baby clothes are best.

3) Look for loose cords in your home. Any electrical, telephone and window-treatment cords should be tied up well out of baby’s reach.

4) Check you baby’s crib for safety. Stuffed toys, loose bedding, and pillows should not be kept in the crib. Once your child can sit up, remove bumper pads as well. The crib sides should be even with the footboard and headboard and the railings should be only 2 3/8 inches apart or less. Make sure that the mattress fits firmly in the crib and if a mattress cover is needed, choose one with a zipper. Make sure that the crib itself is newer and has not been recalled due to safety issues. Check with the manufacturer periodically to ensure that the crib has not been recalled. Make sure that the crib is well out of the way of windows, diaper bags, or mobiles.

5) Once your baby begins to crawl, he or she will try to pull himself or herself up by furniture. This is the time to remove tablecloths, hanging objects, and other dangers. Make sure that every piece of furniture is sturdy and attached to the wall. Lock any cupboards and closet doors that lead to storage areas that contain household chemicals and other dangerous goods. Be especially wary of televisions, which can easily tip over.

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Children are susceptible to choking because they often place small objects in their mouths. When these objects are swallowed, they can become lodged in the throat or windpipe, which blocks the flow of air. Choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, which makes it an emergency. Choking can lead to brain injury if the brain is depleted of oxygen long enough and it can also lead to death.

Most people who are choking will clutch their throat. Other signs of choking include:

1) Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing.
2) Inability to speak or cough.
3) Loss of consciousness.
4) Change of color of the skin, lips and nails. In someone who is choking, the skin, lips and nails may turn blue or dusky.

If someone is choking, perform the Heimlich maneuver to get the foreign object out of the victim’s windpipe or throat. If there is more than one person present, have one person call the emergency number on your area (or 911) while the other person performs the Heimlich maneuver. If you are the only person present, perform the Heimlich maneuver first and then call for help.

To perform the Heimlich maneuver:

1) Stand behind the victim who is choking. Place your arms around his or her waist. Gently tip the victim forward a little.
2) Make a fist and place the fist just a little above the person’s navel.
3) Take the fist into your other hand. Press hard into the victim’s abdomen. Use a quick, upward thrust to do this. It may help to pretend that you are using the same gesture you might use if you were trying to lift the victim up.
4) Repeat the upward thrust motion until the object in the mouth is dislodged. You will usually be able to tell because the object may expel from the victim’s mouth with some force.
5) Keep the victim calm and get them checked out by a doctor, if necessary.

If you are alone and you begin to choke, you may not be able to rely on anyone else to help you. In this situation, you will have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself. To do this:

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