Child Safety Blog

 In a story appearing on at least 177 news websites, the AP (1/19) reported, “A Barbados-based company on Tuesday recalled about 635,000 cribs sold by Kmart, Sears, Wal-Mart and other stores after the death of a 6-month-old boy and multiple reports of injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 20 models of Dorel Asia cribs with both drop sides and fixed front rails. Some of the Chinese- and Vietnamese-made cribs were recalled because their drop sides can detach, creating a space where a child can be trapped and suffocate or strangle.” If your child has been injured by any crib, you may need to speak to a florida personal injury lawyer.

 The AP (1/14) reported that “Diane” drop-side cribs distributed by Caramia Furniture and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard were recalled “because slats on the drop-side can detach from the top and bottom rails, posing fall and entrapment hazards to the child.”

If you have a child who has been injured by a crib of any kind, please contact a Florida Board Certified Trial Attorney to discuss your claim.

 The AP (12/14) reported, “Studies suggest that the number of children killed or injured by falling television has risen even as more consumers replace their clunky old TVs with lighter flat screens.” The CPSC “says more than 80 of the 180 furniture-related deaths from 2000 to 2006 involved televisions. And the number rose over the years.” The CPS urges parents to inspect homes with a critical eye, looking for any tippinig hazards.To help prevent tip-over hazards, CPSC offers the following safety tips:

• Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.
• Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.
• Push the TV as far back as possible.
• Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach, and teach kids not to play with them.
• Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won’t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.
• Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.
  As  personal injury law firm, we have seen how household accidents can injure a child and urge caretakers to take preventative measures.

The AP (11/17) reported, “The Center for Environmental Health tested about 250 children’s products bought at major retailers and found lead levels that exceeded federal limits in seven of them.” California Attorney General Jerry Brown “has sent letters to Target, Wal-Mart and the other retailers who sold the seven products, warning that children’s goods on their store shelves were found to contain illegal levels of lead and should be pulled immediately.” The Consumer Product Safety Commission, “which regulates toys and thousands of other products, is looking into the matter.” The Sacramento Bee (11/17, Glover) also covered the story.

If you have a child who has been hurt by lead, contact a Florida Personal Injury Attorney to discuss your case.

About one million Maclaren strollers are being recalled after the distributor received reports of fingertips being amputated. When the stroller is being opened, the hinge mechanism on the Maclaren Strollers poses the fingertip amputation and laceration hazard. Maclaren USA Inc. has received 12 reports of fingertips being cut off.

Personal Injury Attorney says the recall involves all Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers. The word “Maclaren” is printed on the stroller. The affected models included Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

They were sold at retailers nationwide from 1999 through November 2009.

Maclaren is offering a free repair kit.

Washington, D.C. (AP) reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 16,500 pacifiers because they don’t meet safety standards and can pose a choking hazard. 

The CPSC says the plastic part of the “My Baby Soothers” pacifier can get loose from the base and pose a choking risk to infants and toddlers. 

The pacifiers were sold at grocery stores across the country from August 2007 to July 2008 for about $1.00. 

Parents are urged to take the pacifier away from their children immediately. Contact a Trial Attorney for questions about your legal rights.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 16 and 20, but a new program in Orange County is trying to stop that. National Teen Driver Safety week, which falls before Halloween, is intended to take the scare out of these statistics.

One recommendation is to drive like you care. What does it mean to drive like you care? First of all, it means never putting your friends at risk. Here’s what the teen driving experts at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recommend:

• Teen drivers should not transport child or teen passengers for the first 1,000 miles or six months until they get their full license.
• After six months, they should only transport a single teen or child passenger. They should wait another six months before driving more than one teen or child passenger.
• This will give them time to become familiar with driving without an adult.

The risk of a fatal crash for a teen driver doubles with just one teen passenger. Each new passenger increases the risk of a fatal crash.

This information is being passed along because as a Jacksonville auto accident lawyer, we have seen far too many tragedies with teen drivers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Fishing Games, Rattles, Pull-A-Long Cars, Mini Pull Back Cars, and Cartoon Bubble Guns

Units: About 39,000

Importer/Distributor: CBB Group Inc., City of Commerce, Calif.

Hazard: The fishing games, baby rattles and pull-a-long cars contain small parts, which can detach and pose a choking hazard to children. The mini pull back cars and bubble guns have surface paints which contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Sold at: Dollar stores and toy stores nationwide from July 2007 through December 2008 for between $1 and $5.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled products away from young children immediately and return them to the place where purchased for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact CBB Group, Inc. toll-free at (866) 628-6238 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.cbbgroup.com or to speak to an attorney.

Survivors, family members, professionals and legislators gathered at the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Awareness Press Conference in the Florida Capitol Building on Tuesday to raise awareness if the problem.

“As a parent of a teenaged TBI survivor, we wish to inform families of what precautions to take with their children, to speak to their children about risky behaviors and how critical it is to protect your brain from injury whether it’s an impact or chemical abuse,” said Erick Collazo, a caregiver and parent of a TBI survivor

Speakers at the event shared their experiences and stories and spoke about what services and resources are needed to help. They also addressed why raising awareness of TBI is important and their hopes for the future of TBI in Florida.

Even a mild brain injury can have a devastating impact on a child. It affects a persons ability to learn, carry on converstations with their family, maintain gainful employment and the overall quality of life.

If you have trouble finding something to talk to your teens about these days, it never hurts to show your love by talking to your teens about safe driving.  It is very unsettling to read about Allstates research on teen deaths that was published recently in the Florida Times Union. Apparently, as the holidays approach, so does the liklihood that your teen could be involved in a car accident.

According  to the article which can be read online at http://www.Jacksonville.com/news/metro/2008-12-04/city_no_2_in_fatal_teen_crashes,  the roads in three Florida metro areas — including Jacksonville — are tops nationwide for fatal car crashes involving teens around the holidays.The Tampa Bay area, Jacksonville and Orlando rank first, second and third in the study by Allstate Insurance Co.

One reason may be that all three of these cities are spread out geographically, meaning that teens do more driving. There is also always an increase in drunk drivng because of the holidays.Allstate’s study reported 29 total fatal crashes in Jacksonville during the past eight holiday seasons. The Tampa and Orlando areas had 59 and 39, respectively, for the same time period.

There have been about 5,000 teen-related traffic accidents nationwide during the last eight holiday seasons, according to the study.It goes without saying that it is better to revent a teenage driving accident that having to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer.