Florida Personal Injury Law Info You Can Use

As summer arrives, so does prime injury season for children. Injuries are the leading cause of death in children, and a lot can be done to prevent these injuries. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on injury, violence and poison prevention, injuries cause more deaths in kids over one year of age than the next seven leading causes combined. Here are some of the biggest safety risks and steps you can take to minimize them:

Drowning. Drowning is almost tied with motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among children ages 1 – 4. Never allow a child to swim without supervision or leave a child unattended in a bathtub. Floaties and life vests often give a false sense of security. They can slip off or not keep a child’s head out of the water. Adult supervision is still required when using these devices. A child can drown in just a few inches of water, in the few seconds it takes to answer the phone.

Swimming lessons for kids over 6 months old can be fun, but parents shouldn’t get a false sense of security; there’s no such thing as drown-proofing your child. Even people that know how to swim can drown.

Motor vehicle crashes: Car accidents are the leading cause of death of children over age 1 and account for close to 2/3 of deaths for ages 15 – 24. Proper usage of age-appropriate car seats greatly increases a small child’s chances of surviving a crash, and Florida law requires children under 5 years of age to be properly restrained. All children age 3 and under must be secured in a federally approved child safety seat. Infants from birth to at least age 1 and 20 pounds should be secured in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the vehicle and children ages 1 – 3 should be secured in a forward-facing car seat. Children ages 4 – 5 must be secured by a federally approved child restraint seat or safety belt. If a safety belt does not fit the child correctly, a booster seat should be used to correctly position the lap and shoulder belts once they outgrow forward facing child safety seats (generally at about 40 pounds and 4 years old). Children from approximately 40-80 pounds and under 4’9″ in height should ride in a booster seat.  

Check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website for information on where you can have your car seat installation checked by an expert for free.

Other car-related accidents: Nearly 42 percent of the non-traffic fatalities in children under age 15 between 2004 and 2008 happened because drivers backed over kids who often were in the vehicles’ blind spots. More than 18 percent of non-traffic deaths occurred because children got heatstroke after being left in cars. When it’s hot outside, it does not take long for the inside temperature of a car to reach dangerously high temperatures. Never leave your child in a car unattended, not even for a minute. 

Other risks include power-window strangulation, trunk entrapment and vehicles that are accidentally set in motion. Children must be supervised carefully and taught not to play in or around cars. Make sure there are no kids around before starting the car.

Head injuries: Brain injuries are among the most devastating for patients and their families. In addition to proper use of car seats and seat belts, insist that kids always wear sport-specific helmets.

This information is provided by Perenich, Caulfield, Avril and Noyes, P.A., a personal injury law firm representing families whose children have been seriously injured or who have died due to the negligence of another. Contact us at 800-5-FLA LAW or click here for a free case evaluation. We have offices throughout Tampa Bay to assist you.