Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Rock Hill, South Carolina, the death of a 6 week old child in a crowded Rock Hill day care center made news recently. As expected, an autopsy was performed in order to determine the cause of death. According to the medical examiner, the child died as a result of positional asphyxiation. This medical term refers to medical complication caused when a person’s position prevents the person from breathing adequately. See Baby Died Of Natural Causes In Crowded South Carolina Day Care Center. It has been reported that even star athletes have died as a result of position asphyxiation. See Wikipedia Positional Asphyxiation. It is believed that the baby was faced down in the crib by the owner of the day care center.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that parents and child care providers have babies sleep on their backs. This recommendation has been in place since 1992. Studies indicate that the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has been reduced with this simple technique or habit of having babies sleep on their backs. See Recommended Sleeping Position for Infants.