Missouri Injury Lawyers Blog

Below are three of the most important rules you should follow in order to keep your baby safe in their crib.

1. Use Safe Sleepwear
Pajamas should be flame resistant and fit snuggly. Pajamas also should not include ribbons or drawstrings. All buttons and snaps should be firmly buttoned in order to prevent them from becoming a choking hazard. Electric blankets and heating pads should never be used in the crib. Because baby's skin is so sensitive to heat that their skin can be burned by temperatures that are only uncomfortable to an adult.

2. Dress Baby Properly
Overheating your baby could contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Therefore, you want to make sure if it is warm that you dress your baby in lightweight clothes and set your thermostat to about 70 degrees. If it is cold you should dress your baby in foot pajamas or in a cozy zippered sleep sack.

3. Let Baby Sleep Unencumbered
Pillows, comforters, quilts, dolls, and stuffed animals do not belong in a crib. You should not wrap your baby up in blankets either when putting them in their crib. The infant can become tangled and possibly suffocate if they cannot free themselves.

For more crib tips and a short video, visit this site on crib safety.

One of the scariest truths of Halloween is that it is one of the deadliest nights for pedestrians. In most cases the victims are children, so here are a few ways to reduce the risk of a child or adult being injured or killed this Halloween.

Safety for Pedestrians:

· If children are walking in the dark, give them a flashlight, so they can be seen by drivers. Glow sticks can further aid visibility.

· Don't assume the right of way, as motorists may not see you.

· Children should stay on sidewalks instead of walking between cars or on lawns where there could be ornaments or wires that could be a tripping hazard.

· Parents should accompany children if they are younger than 12 years old.

· Children should walk and not run from house to house.

· Remind children to look for cars when walking by a driveway.

· Consider a costume that is a lighter color and more visible to motorists. Add reflective material front and back; it can even be part of the design.

Safety for Motorists:

· Do not use a cell phone or other mobile device while driving. Pull over safely to check voice messages, or texts, as needed.

· Pull over to safe locations to let children exit curb side, away from traffic. Use your hazard lights to alert other drivers of not only your car, but to exercise caution. Especially on Halloween, they might be extra wary for children as a result.

· Watch for children who may dart out into the street and always yield to pedestrians-where there is one- there are likely others ready to cross.

· Drive slowly in and around neighborhoods and residential streets.

· Try to part in a spot where you won't need to back up, but if you must, have an adult outside to make sure no children are in the way.

· If you are driving children around for trick or treating, make sure they are buckled up appropriately with a child safety seat or vehicle seatbelt. Do this each and every time they enter the car, and check before driving to the next stop.

· Do not drink and drive. Drunk driving incidents increase on Halloween; motorists should be more responsible, know that this evening is especially dangerous.

Halloween is supposed to be scary with ghosts, goblins and witches not so much with your child or yourself becoming injured and visiting the emergency room. In order to be sure you and your children have a safe night below are a few costume safety tips to ensure just that.

• Examine masks to be sure they do not block vision.

• Do NOT use decorative contact lenses; eye infections may result.

• Avoid costumes that are billowy or baggy that could potentially brush against lit jack-o-lanterns.

• Check labels to be sure costumes are flame resistant.

• Avoid accessories that have sharp edges such as swords or canes.

• Make sure costumes are not to big in order to avoid tripping.

• Much of the Halloween makeup is not FDA approved and could cause allergic reactions so read packages carefully.

For more safety tips and a short video please visit this site on Halloween Safety.

Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean that the risk of children drowning is over. Unfortunately there are still other places your children can drown besides the backyard pool. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has highlights from 2005- 2006 of nearly 600 reports with children under five years old involved in "submersion incidents." The majority of those incidents involved bath and bath related materials with children under two. Out of 431 reported fatalities, 92 percent of those occurred in homes.
Below are a few tips on keeping your children safe in the bathtub:

• Don't leave a baby or young child in a bathtub under the care of another young child.

• Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub.

• If you must leave, take the child with you.

• Never leave young children alone near any water or tub or basin with fluid. Young children can drown in even small amounts of water.

Other safety precautions:
• Consider placing locks on toilet seat covers in case a young child wanders into the bathroom.

• Learn CPR. It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.

• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers are top heavy and they can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.

Vehicles are an everyday part of life for most Americans, that are used every day to get people where they need to go. Its easy to see why vehicles are the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates 262 fatalities and 115,000 injuries to children 14 and younger in non- traffic crashes each year.

The most common non-traffic, vehicular-related deaths occur from people driving or backing over pedestrians and vehicular heat stroke deaths. Non-traffic refers to events that occur off public roads or highways. Nearly 80% of non-traffic accidents involve children 15 years and younger.

People driving or backing over pedestrians account for about 64% of the non-traffic accidents including children 15 and under. Toddlers 12-23 months old account for 70% of the victims in those types of accidents. Janette Fennell, president and founder of KidsAndCars.org, associates this with what she calls the "bye-bye syndrome." Those young children don't want to be left behind by a parent or relative and often place themselves in dangerous positions around a vehicle where they cannot be seen. The exact same thing occurs when a parent returns home and the children rush out around the vehicle to greet them. Children so young do not relate the car as being a danger to them and often get too close. Younger children's height exacerbates the danger, especially when dealing with bigger vehicles, it is impossible to see what is around the car with all of its blind spots.

Continue reading "Keeping Children Safe In and Around Cars" »

Bassettbaby has recalled approximately 90,000 cribs with drop-sides citing safety hazards that include suffocation, entrapment and falling out of the crib. For more information about this recall, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission press release here.

On October 8th at 3:40PM on MO-5, 300 feet north of MO- 7 junction in Camden County, an accident occured involving five vehicles, including a school bus and a 1998 Peterbilt Truck. According to the report of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F, the accident occured as a 1998 Pontiac driven by Robert Shirley, 32, of Stoutland, MO, a 2004 Mazda, driven by Jerry Southard, 64, of Lebanon, MO, and a 1998 Mitsubishi, driven by Erika Groves, 16, of Camdenton, MO were all stopped in traffic waiting to make a left hand turn. The 2008 International School Bus, driven by Shawn Danuser, 42, of LInn Creek was slowing behind the other vehicles when it was struck in the rear by a 1998 Peterbilt Truck that was driven by Patrick Wortman, 54, of Rosendale, MO. This caused a chain reaction and the bus hit the Pontiac, which hit the Mazda, which smashed into the rear of the Mitsubishi.

Sixteen occupants of the bus were injured. The sixteen injured were; Michael Alderman, Nathanial Bellew, Kelsey Bryant, Trever Bryant, Dylan Fleming, Jerry Frey, Ryan Ginsberg, Dylan Hooper, Nichole Howel, Kyle Mills, David Prather, Cooper Smith, Dakota Smith, Zachary Taylor, Stormy Wise, and Marissa Wood all of Camden County. All of the children sustained only minor injuries, except Nicole Howel who sustained moderate injuries. Howel was transported to St. Johns Hospital in Springfeild by St. John's helicopter service. The other injured children were transported to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach by St. John's EMS. The bus driver, Shawn Danuser also sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Lake Regional Hospital by private vehicle. Robert Shirley, the driver of the 1998 Pontiac sustained minor injuries and was transported by St. John's EMS to Lake Regional Hospital.

The accident was investigated by Sergeant Buttram, Corporal Gisselbeck, Trooper Atkinson, and Trooper Mistler. They were assisted by the Camden County Sheriff's Department, Camdenton Police and Fire Department, Mid County Fire Department, and by St. John's EMS.

Fisher Price has issued a massive recall on a variety of its products, including tricycles and high chairs. To read more about this recall, view the ABC news story.

Safety experts are now warning that a group of products geared at helping babies remain in a safe sleeping position are actually very dangerous. Baby sleep positions were thought to keep babies from rolling over onto their bellies, thus preventing them from suffocating. The two main types of sleep positioners are flat pads with wide bolsters that go alongside a baby's belly or an inclined mat with bolstered sides.

New information shows that these sleep positioners are actually causing suffocation deaths in infants. Federal officials are telling parents to stop using these products. For more, visit this news story by the Los Angeles Times.

Missouri has designated the week of September 19th through the 25th as Child Passenger Safety Week. Law enforcement officers will be paying close attention this week to insure that child restraints are being properly used. Car crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages one through fourteen.

If you are caught driving with a child who is not properly restrained, you get a ticket and you will lose two points off of your license. If you are pulled over for other offenses such as speeding or other traffic violations and a child is not properly restrained you will likely face charges of child endangerment as well as the normal fines for the traffic violations.

In the U.S., approximately 23 million children ride a school bus to and from school every day. Contrary to what you might think, most injuries related to school busses do not occur when the children are on the busses. Most injuries happen while children are getting to and from the bus.

Drivers can help keep children and other pedestrians safe by implementing some of these safety tips:

• Always check behind your vehicle before backing out of a driveway. Watch for children who may be walking or bicycling to school.
• Watch out for children and parents who may be distracted and are thinking about school or work instead of getting there safely.
• Slow down and watch for children walking in the street, especially in areas where there aren't any sidewalks.
• Take extra care when driving near bus stops. Watch out for children who are playing near the roadway and may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
• Be alert when you meet a school bus on the road. Pay attention to onboard stop signs and flashing signal lights intended to alert you to the presence of children on or near the roadway.
• Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is beginning to slow to a stop to load or unload children.
• Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped, and that children are getting on or off. Wait until all flashing lights and onboard stop signs have been turned off before you begin moving again.

FOR YOUR CHILDREN:

• Make sure children have plenty of time to get to the bus stop so they aren't rushing to beat the bus there.
• Children should stand at least six feet away from the curb at all times.
• Children should wait until the bus is fully stopped, the door opens and the driver says it's okay to come onto the bus before entering.
• Children who have to cross the street in front of the bus should stay at least ten feet in front of the bus as they cross so they bus driver can always see them.
• Children should be instructed to never walk behind the bus.

Continue reading "Take Caution as Children Return to School This Fall" »

Every year as summer heats up, Americans head for the nearest lakes, rivers and pools for fun and relief from the scorching heat. The tragedy in Shreveport this week demonstrates how quickly accidents can happen on the water. According to news reports, the Shreveport teens drowned in the Red River after they were playing shallow water, when they inadvertently stepped off a ledge into an 18 foot drop off. Although there were some adults in the group, it is reported that no one knew how to swim.

When swimming and playing in lakes and rivers, the American Red Cross offers these safety tips:

• Learn to swim and make sure that your children know how to swim.

• Understand that swimming ability alone, is not enough to always prevent drowning--even good swimmers have medical emergencies or unexpected situations that can affect one's ability to swim to safety or to save others.

• Select an area that has good water quality and safe natural conditions. Murky water, hidden underwater objects and unexpected drop-offs, like what occurred in Shreveport this week, can turn a fun event into a tragedy.

• Learn CPR and make sure that other people supervising your children also know CPR.

• Remember that feet-first entry is much safer than diving. Too many swimmers are seriously injured every year by entering headfirst into water that is too shallow.

• Maintain constant supervision of children around any water environment..

• Make sure children and other non-swimmers use a coast-guard approved life vest, but remember that floatation devices are no substitute for adult supervision.

• Don't use alcohol. Alcohol influences balance, coordination and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.

The lawyers and staff at Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC of Moberly, Missouri hope that you and your family have a safe and fun summer and enjoy your time on and around the water.

Continue reading "Six Teenagers Tragically Lose Their Lives In Louisiana Drowning Incident" »

Bicycling is a popular warm weather passtime that can be dangerous if proper safety precautions aren't taken. It is important to always wear a properly fitting bicycle helmet. It can significantly reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by as much as 88% according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). More than half of all bicycle accident fatalities in the United States are attributed to head injuries.

To insure that you get a good fit on a bike, you may wish to check the bicycle helmet safety institute information on how to fit a bicycle helmet. You may also check with the vendor of the bicycle helmet or a reputable bicycle store to insure that your child has a good fitting bicycle helmet. It is also a good idea to make sure your helmet has not been recalled for defects by checking the
CPSC helmet recall list..

Traumatic brain injuries not only pose a significant risk of fatality, but also can lead to significant disability. The old saying that a pound of prevention is worth a pound of cure certainly applies to children wearing bicycle helmets.

Tatlow, Gump, Faiella & Wheelan, LLC wishes you a safe and happy summer.

The Missouri Child Identification Program, also known as MOCHIP, helps parents gather and prepare a packet of information to be used if their child ever goes missing. Program workers set up clinics at Masonic Lodges around the state. These information packets contain a photograph of the child, fingerprints, dental records and more and are provided at no cost to the parents. The packets also contain a disc that the police can upload directly into the Missouri Amber Alert system to help find a missing child.

To find a MOCHIP clinic near you, visit their website's calendar of events.

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that more than one million baby slings made by Infantino were recalled Wednesday after claims linking them to three infant deaths. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said babies could suffocate in the soft fabric slings.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges consumers to stop using the recalled slings immediately and contact Infantino to receive a free replacement product, with a choice of a Wrap & Tie infant carrier, or a 2 in 1 Shopping Cart Cover, or a 3 in 1 Grow & Play Activity Gym. A Jittery Pals Rattle will also be provided. Contact Infantino toll-free at (866) 860-1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.infantino.com.

Continue reading "Baby Slings Recalled After Three Deaths" »