By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
There is nothing more peaceful than seeing your child or a child under your care sleeping in a safe, clean, and supportive environment. There are certainly risks to infants and small children when they are at play inside or outside the home or day care center. A child can be injured while playing in a playground or doing some kind of activity. As such, supervision during these times are vital to prevent injuries to children. In addition to these activities, the sleep habits and environment of children (especially those under the age of 12 months) should also be closely monitored.
One of the best experience for a child enrolled in a day care center, school, or summer camp is the field trip. It certainly can be an adventure for the day to get out to a different location and have fun with friends. Common destinations for field trips include: swimming pools, beaches, amusement parks, theme parks, movie theaters, historic sites, and other locations. Typically, a field trip is a great experience for a child.
When a child is an unfortunate victim of an automobile accident, a paent is often faced with many challenges and issues. One such issue is a choice or decision as to medical care right after the accident. Should a child be taken to an emergency room following an automobile accident? This can be a complex question. The answer to which depends on the facts and circumstances of the case and the severity of the injuries. From a legal standpoint in most States, there is no requirement that a child be seen by an emergency room on the day of the accident or soon thereafter. From a medical standpoint, the analysis is quite different and should be left to the evaluation of the parents, the pediatrician, the urgent care center, fire rescue, and or a combination of one or more of these caregivers. When a child is injured as a result of an automobile accident, a parent should assess the situation and make his or her best decision. Of course, a parent should be cautious and take the child to a medical provider which may include an emerency room if there is any doubt in the parent’s mind as to the condition of the child and the need for medical treatment following the automobile accident. If there is any doubt or concern about the child’s condition, immediate action should be taken from a medical standpoint to make sure that the child is stabilized and appropriate testing is ordered or performed. Thereafter, follow up care, testing, and treatment can be arranged by the parent with medical providers.
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.
Distracted Driving is a national problem that has impacted lives and families in virtually every community. While mobile phone and cell phones are wonderful tools, they have also proven to be a distraction for drivers. Rather than concentrate on driving, traffic, and other dangers of the road, drivers are fixted on their mobile phones watching out for that next text, e-mail, website, and video.
Years ago, bounce houses were limited to amusement and theme parks. They were set up and supervised by professionals who had experience with the bounce houses and inflatables. Over time, bounce houses and inflatables became affordable and accessible for just about every parent or person throwing a back yard party. It is common for a parent to rent an inflatable and get limited to no instructions as to safety while the bounce house is in use. There are some companies that take the time to provide safety precautions and recommended rules for use. There are also some companies that provide supervision in addition to the delivery of the bounce house. Supervision is well and good as long as it is consisent and free from distractions. Having a bounce house attendant in place but on his or her mobile phone most of the time is not much better than no supervision at all. When a parent or person rents or puts up a bounce house for use by children, it is important to keep some safety rules, tips, and precautions in mind and in place.
Parents rely on day care centers for the proper care and supervision of their children. Unfortunately, there are some day care owners and staff members who should never be in charge of children because they lack the patience, training, and common sense to properly care for children. At times, a child care provider / day care provider loses his or her patience and assaults child at the day care center.
Day care centers should be safe havens for children. They should be a place for a child to grow learn and feel secure in a safe educational environment. Unfortunately, some day care providers and workers lack common sense, patience, training, and education to properly care for children. When a day care worker lacks the necessary patience and as common sense, children are at times subjected to ask of corporal punishment, verbal attacks, physical injuries, and other perils.
Drowning is a problem that continues to be a tragedy in many communities during the summer, spring, and other times of the year. Some drownings are unpredictable and unpreventable even with good supervision. For instance, if a person has a seizure or heart problems out of the blue and then drowns, this may not be preventable especially with no prior history of seizures or heart problems. However, most other drowning incidents are preventable with proper safety precautions, supervision, and training in place. This is especially important when there are children in or near a swimming pool around some other aquatic activity. Tragically, drowning is the leading cause of death for hildren between the ages of 1 through 4 years of age. See