Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Millions of children each year attend summer camp. Most days are filled with both indoor and outdoor activities including swimming, sports, boating, arts and crafts, field trips, and other activities. On most days, the child come end the day tired but happy and ready for the next day of adventure. Unfortunately, some children are injured at a summer camp whether it is a day summer camp or one that is an overnight camp. Rather then be ready for the next day’s adventure, a child is faced with the pain and suffering associated with the injuries. Camp counselors have a duty to provide reasonable supervision of children. In addition, camp counselors should routinely inspect the indoor and outdoor equipment and report any dangerous conditions to maintenance personnel or supervisors. A camp counselor should use his or her best efforts to keep children away from dangerous and unsafe areas. Camp counselors should also take action to secure or otherwise enclose dangerous and unsafe areas away from curious children. In other words, any unsafe or dangerous areas should be off limits with no access to children. Most states have laws in place that address summer camps childcare providers day care centers and schools as to the duties and obligations of the staff. In addition to these laws ordinances and regulations, a camp counselor should also exercise reasonable care, common sense, and due diligence when providing for the care of children.
What is one basic duty of every day care center in the nation? Simply stated, it is the act of “roll call”. It is amazing how simple of a task roll call can be; however, it is more amazing how many times that roll calls are not completed or done haphazardly. This can be espeically troublesome during field trips and any time that a child is transported by the day care center or a transportation company.
Firework injuries to children and others seem to spike during the July 4th time period. People are enthusiastic and eager to celebrate America’s Independence. Unfortunately, injuries result from the lighting off of fireworks by untrained individuals. Furthermore, the lighting of fireworks that tend to fly through air and spin around aimlessly tend to be quite dangerous especially when lit in confined areas like urban areas, backyards, and residential driveways and streets. Individuals with experience lighting off fireworks feel that they have a good working knowledge of the fireworks and how to light them off in a safe manner. If this was the case, there would not be so many visits to the emergency room due to firework related injuries. It was reported that over 11,000 people were treated in an emergency room as a result of firework related injuries including those related to firecrackers, sparklers, and bottle rockets. You can read more about the statistics related to 
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and other cities, children are customers of various business establishments, restaurants, malls, playgrounds, department stores, and other areas. Watch television on any given day and you will actually see commercials directly targeting children to come visit the store and purchase the products. Unfortunately, some visits to stores and restaurants result in personal injuries and in some instances the tragic death of a child. It was recently reported that a horrible tragedy took place in Philadelpha, Pennsylvania. It was reported by USA Today and other news outlets that 3-year-old girl died as a result of security gate becoming detached from the front of Rita’s Italian Ice Shop and fell on the girl. Philadephia Police Department officers and emergency rescue responded to the scene. The girl was transported to Hahnemann University and died soon after arrival.
Summer is filled with adventures, vacations, swimming, and boating activities. It is a great time to spend with family and friends and to be active in the great weather. With great fun and adventure, there should also be the concepts of safety and supervision in mind especially when there are children participating in these activities. It should be noted that drowning is still a major casuse of death in children. While rates have been declining in recent years, drowning is still listed as the second leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 to 18. Drowning deaths are limited to large bodies of water like oceans, rivers, and lakes. A child can also drown in a swimming pool, wading pool, portable pool, and even a bucket of water. As such, it is important for child care providers and parents to provide consistent supervision when children are in or near swimming, boating, and any place else there is a risk for drowning or personal injuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides the following as tips for child safety and drowning prevention:
In Florida and other States, children enjoy riding their bicycles out in the fresh air. It provides exercise and some independence for them. Children love to ride to school, a friend’s house, or even the store. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), America has approximately 33 million riders. See more 
Are children with hearing loss more vulnerable to injuries when a school or day care center neglects to install and maintain certain safety features?
In California and other States, there is a danger present in most homes, schools, day care centers, and other facilities where children are cared for or supervised. The danger is quite common but not something that is so obvious to many parents and child care givers. The danger is associated with televisions and unsecured furniture. These items can fall and over tip over on a child. Sometimes, an incident happens when a child or another person bumps into, moves, or climbs on or near the television or unsecured bookcase or other furniture item. The weight of these items falling on a small child can cause serious personal injuries and, in some instances, the tragic death of a child.
As technology becomes more advanced and prevalent, the number of children with hearing loss grows. In the United States, twelve to fifteen percent of the 10 million people with hearing loss are school-aged children. The abundant use of new-age technology like music players and gaming systems have contributed to this increased percentage.
Parents devote the greater part of their days and nights to the support, education, and welfare of their children. Many parents rely on day care centers to help supervise their children while the parents are at work. It is common to see children raised in a single parent home or by two working parents. When selecting a day care center, convenience and price are just two of many factors that should be considered by a parent. Other factors to consider include: the licensing of the facility, the background and training of the staff members, the type of facility, condition of the facility, staff to child ratio, activities provided, and other factors.