Articles Posted in Injuries to Minors and Children

During summer in Florida, many children who are not attending school or summer camp spend countless hours outside, playing and participating in sports. This means that there are a number of common injuries to minors and children that take place during this time. Sports injuries, such as sprains, are very common at this time of year. Parents should know what to do to prevent and treat such sports-related injuries.

A sprain, one of the more common playground and sport related injuries, is an injury which tears or stretches a ligament. The ligament is the tissue that connects bones at a joint. Many things can cause this type of injury. Car accidents, getting hit with a ball, slip and fall accidents, twisting a limb, all can cause the ligaments around the joint to tear or stretch. In many cases, sprains are to the ankles, wrists, and thumbs, although any ligaments can be affected.

Your child may have a sprain if they display the following symptoms: bruising, pain, swelling, and inability to move to the joint. A sprain can be severe, moderate, or mild. In some cases, the injured party may feel a tear or pop when the injury occurs.

Now that school is out in Florida, many children are dropped off at daycare centers, camp, babysitters, or other places of care. Many children are outdoors more often, and for many young ones, that means quality time on playgrounds. While playgrounds can be a fun way for children to stay active while enjoying plenty of fresh air, they can also be hazardous.

Each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 200 000 children under the age of 14 years are treated for in emergency rooms for injuries sustained on playgrounds. These injuries can be severe, ranging from strangulation, brain injury, internal injuries, amputations, fractures, and spinal cord injuries. In fact, the CDC reports that about 45% of injuries sustained on playgrounds are severe.

According to the CDC, playground injuries can occur at school, at daycare, at camp and even at residential playgrounds. Although studies suggest that 75% of nonfatal playground-related injuries occur on public playgrounds, the CDC suggests that parents remain vigilant and check all toys and play areas where their children play.

In Florida, children visit hospitals, clinics, and doctors throughout the summer. While health care professionals are in the business of healing, however, medical errors are a leading cause of death among all age groups. According to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, rates of medical errors injuring children were comparable to error rates for adults. The major difference was that the rate for possible adverse drug events was three times higher in children.

Adverse drug effects, misdiagnoses, and other medical errors can cause serious personal injury, including neurological damage and permanent disability. To keep your child safe and to prevent medical malpractice suits later, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) suggests that parents use the following tips each time medical care is required:

1) Stay involved. AHRQ has found that the largest risk for medical errors among children is often parent involvement. When physicians and other health care workers do not communicate well with parents, that makes it harder for parents to make informed decisions. Parents who stay involved in every decision made about their child’s care and who ask lots of questions greatly reduce the possibility of medical error.

2) Share all information – again and again. According to the AHRQ, parents should share a child’s medical history, allergies, and weight with every health care worker the child receives care from. It is not enough to assume the physician will read the chart. To prevent medical interaction, the AHRQ suggests that parents bring along all the medication a child currently uses in a bag to every appointment or hospital visit. Parents should always clarify that any new medication given will not interact with current medication.

3) Be vigilant about allergies. Having your child wear a medical bracelet outlining allergies is important. Reminding health care workers about allergies is also a good idea.
4) Be careful about drug errors. If you cannot read the doctor’s handwriting on your child’s prescription, your pharmacist may face the same problem. Do not be shy about asking the doctor to rewrite the prescription, printing the name of the medication. When picking up the medication at the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist to double-check that the medication you are getting is the medication that has actually been prescribed. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences reported that 88% of medicine errors involved the wrong medication or dose, so being vigilant is important.

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Youth violence became an issue in the 1990s, when a veritable epidemic of violent acts perpetrated by and against young people seemed to hit the nation. While statistics show that youth robbery, rape, and homicide have declined since 1983, arrests for aggravated assault remain very high.

In Florida, teenagers and youth are now spending additional time with their peer groups. Summer means absence from the structures of school. Florida youth often spend part of their summer time unsupervised and with friends their own age. This can mean that minors can come into contact with youth violence during their summer vacations. In fact, Florida attorneys each year receive frantic calls from parents who have minors who have sustained injuries caused by another young person.

Youth violence is more than just a passing phase. Violence – whether caused by adults or younger persons – can cause permanent injuries. Aggravated assault perpetrated by teenagers can prove fatal and can cause brain injury and fractures. Weapons violence can lead to burn injuries and even spinal cord injuries. These wounds can mean months of school lost for a young victim. Young victims may find their future careers hampered by youth violence as well.

Experts believe that peer association is the single biggest risk factor in youth violence. Parents should get to know their children’s friends and should act on any disturbing violent behaviour at once. Reporting violence is important in stopping the crime. Sometimes, teens will not share their friend problems with a parent. However, signs of withdrawal, bruising, and moodiness can all be warning signs that a peer group is not healthy.

The Surgeon General’s Report on youth violence youth violence intervention and prevention programs are one positive way to reduce injuries and fatalities caused by young offenders. These programs, the Surgeon General’s Report suggests, need to be integrated with communities, schools, and individuals to be truly effective.

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Each year, Florida attorneys are contacted about childhood tragedies involving water injuries. In the summer, especially, Florida lawyers are often contacted by distraught family members after a young child is drowned or sustains a serious injury while swimming in a river, pool, or lake. Florida summers mean cooling dips in the water, but parents and children need to take precautions to ensure water safety.

In 2004 alone, there were an average of nine unintentional fatal drowning in the United States per day, according to the CDC. These statistics do not include the water injuries caused by boating accidents. The CDC further reports that for every child under 14 years of age who dies from drowning, 5 were seriously injured in the water and required emergency treatment and hospitalization.

Water injuries to children can cause serious injury. Bone fractures are common poolside injuries. Brain injuries that result in loss of basic function, loss or memory, and learning disabilities also commonly affect children who have been seriously injured while swimming. Diving accidents commonly cause spinal cord injuries as well. Naturally, all these injuries can affect a child’s ability to develop normally and attend school.

The recent tragedy at VirginiaTech once again shone the spotlight on school violence. Although that tragedy garnered nationwide headlines, smaller instances of school violence do not usually make the news. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many students across the country are exposed to traumatic events at school and at home. Parents should be aware that while violence and traumatic events in the schools can cause physical injuries – such as burns, cuts, wounds, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other forms of injury – it can also cause stress and trauma, which needs to be addressed.

Minors and children exposed to school violence and other traumatic events may react with grief, sadness, and anger. Communication with loved ones may break down and students may try to isolate themselves as they deal with their emotions. Some students seem to handle the trauma very well, only to experience suffering at some later point in time. Students who have witnessed a traumatic event at school may have disturbing memories or nightmares. They may have trouble eating, sleeping, or concentrating normally and they may feel nervous or simply numb. While all these responses are normal, it is important that affected students speak with someone and get support from family or professionals.

It is helpful if victims and witnesses of a traumatic event can maintain a normal routine and take good care of themselves while recovering from a trauma. Although time will diminish some of the symptoms of stress, taking drugs or alcohol or taking part in other self-destructive activities can severely delay healing, according to the CDC.

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is encouraging all employers to ensure that job safety is a key focus as summer hiring season is set to start. According to the L&I, many seasonal workers in the summer are teens or minors and workers under 18 are injured on the job twice as often as adults. The L&I is calling for more training, good supervision and lots of repetition to reduce the accident rate. To prevent injuries to minors and children, the L&I is also encouraging employers to obey laws which prevent teens from working with dangerous equipment and materials.

Research by the L&I suggests that almost half of the injuries to minors take place during the initial six months on a new job. Most of these injuries are slips and falls, burn injuries, and cuts, but some are fatal or lead to life-long disability. Each year, some teens die while working a summer job.

According to the L&I, minors on the job are more at risk because they do not recognize risks which may appear obvious to older workers. At the same time, younger workers may be less willing to ask a supervisor questions. Therefore, it is important for employers to explain all risks to teen employees and to teach employees how to avoid or minimize those risks.