By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Colorado Springs and other cities, child pedestrians are at risk in parking lots and roadways. A driver can never know for sure when a child is in a parking lot or attempting to cross a street. As such, drivers should be on alert and drive with care at all times. Of course, school zones, parks, and playgrounds are common areas where one would see a child pedestrian. We all also know that children are in all other areas as well. Drive with due care.
Staffers at the Hennepin County Medical Center are concerned with the high rate of children falling through windows this summer. In this year alone, HCMC has treat 14 different pediatric patients after they have fallen from windows. These patients ranged from 17-months-old to 7-years-old. This number is double from 2009, where HCMC treated 7 pediatric patients who suffered injuries from window falls.
Vicksburg High School’s head football coach, Tom Marchese believes that concussions are more serious than most people think, especially because concussions have long-term effects. Marchese may be on to something. New studies reveal that repeated concussions may cause permanent brain damage that eventually shows up with symptoms such as depression, chronic headaches, early-onset dementia, and/or adult-onset attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Scientists, who have conduct recent research, funded in part by the NFL, say they have found evidence that connects head injuries in athletes to a condition that mimics Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Child safety advocates are urging for lower teacher-child ratios in the classroom. Under the current state standard, Texas permits 2 caregivers to watch 22, 2-year-olds or 30, 3-year-olds. However, the child advocates are urging for two caregivers to watch 18, 2-year-olds, or 28, 3-year-olds.
The incident that resulting in a a 2-and-a-half-year-old girl being left behind in a Wisconsin Park has an Appleton, Wisconsin day care center reviewing their policies. The girl was left behind at the park for about 30 minutes.
Ten million drop-side cribs have been recalled since 2007 – including 2 million in June alone. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has formed new safety standards that will ban the sale of drop-side cribs and prohibit their use in day cares and hotels hopefully by December 2011.
Although corporal punishment and spanking of children is banned in 24 countries, it is a common practice all over world, revealed three studies by UNC researchers. Spanking children has decline since 1975, however, it is still common practice, 80%, for preschool children.
In Littleton, Colorado and other cities, the new school year has begun. For most children, the first days and weeks of school are filled with fun new learning adventures, seeing friends, and making new ones. Unfortunately, the new school year has greeted some children with injuries, abuse, and neglect at the hands of child care and day care providers. In Littleton, Colorado, a child care worker showed poor judgment by duct taping a boy’s hands to his head. This bad judgment in child care resulted in the day care worker’s arrest by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew James McGregor, age 21, was employed for Roxborough Roxstars, a program run for before and after school care for the Douglas County School District.
Benjamin Janicki, a 19-year-old boy, was a summer hire as a day care aide at Park Hill United Methodist Children’s Center. According to Denver’s district attorney office, Janicki was arrested and faces at least felony counts of sexual abuse on three preschoolers. Janicki also faces three additional counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, also felonies. Parents were told that the victims were between the ages of 3 and 4-years and that there could be more.