By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Shoreview, Minnesota, a horrific incident took place at a chiropractor’s office. A mother, Amy Elizabeth Newton, from Moundsview, Minnesota, was strapped to a table for treatment at the chiropractor’s office. She was in the room with her 18 mother old child. While the mother was strapped or restrained, the 18 month old boy crawled under the chiropractor table and then unknowingly hit a button the brought the chiropractor table down on him and crushed him. All the mother was able to do was scream in horror to try to summon staff for help. While CPR was administered, the personal injuries suffered by the child including head trauma ended the life of this young boy.
The local Sheriff, Matt Bostrom, reported that criminal charges were not likely based on the facts as known at the time of the report.
While the chiropractor’s office is not a day care center or a school, the facility should be maintained in a reasonable safe condition and manner. If children are allowed in the office and are known to visit the office, precautions should be taken to protect the children from dangerous areas and anything that may be deemed an attractive nuisance. In this instance, the mother was unable to supervise her child while strapped on the table. The mother was not able to properly supervise her children. As such, the staff should have made precautions during this time period for the supervision and safety of the child. Otherwise, care should have been provided to the mother under different circumstances or rescheduled altogether.
The staff’s knowledge and experience with the chiropractor table and equipment were far superior to that of the mother and her child.
What started off as a simple day of treatment at a chiropractor’s office ended tragically in the death of a child. It appears that the death of this child could have been avoided with better supervision and safety measures in place. When there are children around, any place including a chiropractor’s office can be a dangerous place for a child. See Toddler Crushed at Minnesota Chiropractor’s Office.
The death of a child presents lifelong challenges for the surviving parents and family members. The ABCs of Child Injury – Legal Rights of the Injured Child – What Every Parents Should Know – is a basically guide for parents dealing with a child injury or death of a child. Of course, no book or person will have all the answers but the information in the book including chapters on Medical Bills / Treatment, Damages / Compensation, Day Care Injuries, School Injuries, and other topics can provide a parent with a basic roadmap to help them deal with a child injury or the wrongful death of a child. A free book can be obtained at Free Child Injury Book for Parents. The book is also available at the Apple iBookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.