Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
It is now against the law in Kentucky to text while driving. If you are caught texting while driving you will only get a warning. However, starting January 1, 2011, you will be fined; $25 for the fist offense and $50 for subsequent offenses. The new law prohibits drivers from sending or reading text messages, instant message and emails. The law also completely prohibits drivers under the age of 18-years-old from using cell phones. Kentucky is 1 of 10 states to ban sending text messages while driving. And roughly 30 states have bans completely prohibiting the use of cell phones for drivers under 18-years of age.
Outside of St. Louis Missouri, a horrible bus accident was reported that involved two school buses, a semi truck, and a SUV. Tragically, two people died as a result of this bus / semi tractor / SUV accident and many others including a number of children were injured as a result of this accident. A full investigation will be conducted by State and Local authorities to determine the cause of the accident and what measures could have been taken to avoid the accident and related personal injuries.
The number one cause of injury-related death in New York City is motor vehicle accidents. According to annual reports released by the State of New York Department of Health, 1,535 children died in New York City, of those 445 deaths were caused by injuries and 106 were killed by motor vehicles. The overwhelming majority of children killed by motor vehicles were walking at the time they were fatally struck, the others were riding bicycles or scooters. Although New York automobile accidents seem to be the cause of injury-related death to New York City children, the state’s number of deaths is relatively low when compared to the national average. In fact, New York City has just 1/3 of the transportation-related child fatalities that the nation’s average has. The primary reason being that so many New Yorkers rely on public transportation. Therefore, the public transportation system in New York City keeps children safer from automobile accidents than they otherwise would be.
A church bus crashed and rolled onto Interstate 35 in Franklin County, Missouri, injuring nine children. The victims ranged in age from 8-17, three of which suffered critical injuries. One child was flown to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri and the other two were taken by ambulance. Five other children suffered from serious injuries, said authorities.
A USA Today published an interesting article about the increase of teenage vehicle accidents during the summer months. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admission, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the deadliest for drivers ages 15-20. Traffic safety experts state that the increase in youth fatality rates during this time period is due to youths having more free time and less parental supervision, more opportunities to drive at night and relaxed curfews.
Telegraph.co.uk published an article recently about child booster seats to kick off child safety week in the United Kingdom. The article focused on a survey conducted by Which? magazine. Which? surveyed more than 1,000 parents of children aged between 4 and 12; these children are required by law to use a child car seat.
Iowa’s motorcycle laws have a loophole that permits children, some barely toddlers, to legally ride a motorcycle without helmets. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Iowa, Illinois and New Hampshire are the only 3 states in the nation that do not have helmet laws, even to protect their youngest residents. The Iowa Department of Transportation revealed that at least one child under 14-years-old and 17 children under 24-years-old have died in motorcycle crashes since 2007. So far, at least 13 people have been killed this year and others have been severely injured, including one man whose legs were severed upon impact. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, helmets are 37% effective at preventing deaths in motorcycle accidents and 67% effective at preventing brain injuries. The group also estimated a total of 1,829 lives saved by helmets since 2009 and an additional 823 lives would have been saved had the drivers been wearing helmets. Motorcyclists who are involved in crashes and are not wearing a helmet are 3 times more likely to sustain brain injuries than those motorcyclists who do wear helmets, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
A 14-year-old Greencastle, Indiana boy may have avoided serious injury after he collided with a vehicle late afternoon on June 7. The Greencastle Police report stated the 14-year-old was riding his bike when he crossed the driver of the vehicle, Glenn K. Hollis’, path. According to the police report, the child came into contact with the front driver side fender of Hollis’ 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, was thrown from the bicycle, and struck his head on the windshield causing him to fall to the ground. The child was then rushed to the Putman County Hospital in an ambulance where he was treated for a head injury. Greencastle Police Department Chief Thom Sutherlin stated he believed the child was treated for minor injuries and was kept overnight in the hospital for observation reasons. Sutherlin said Hollis was not cited for the accident. You can read more about this accident at 