Children with Personal Injuries

Published on: May 16, 2021

Drop in Bicycle Head Injuries in Kids, But Adults Still at Risk

The month of May marked the beginning of national bicycle safety month. Thanks to a greater focus on helmet usage and other factors, there has been a significant reduction in the number of American children suffering serious head injuries in bicycle accidents. However, adults continue to be at risk of suffering head injuries in these accidents, with injury rates in this section of the population barely budging.

According to a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, there was a significant drop of close to 50% in bicycle-related head injuries in children between 2009 and 2018. The researchers credit a number of factors for this significant drop in injuries in this section of the population. The most important factor has been the increased usage of bicycle helmets. Awareness campaigns that have pushed for the use of helmets in children have led to a greater awareness of the risk of bicycle-related head injuries in this section of the population. These injuries can be especially dangerous in little ones. Several cities, including those in Georgia, have also significantly invested in the construction of bicycle lanes that have ensured that children and adults are not exposed to motorists and the risks of accidents involving cars.

However, those same safety interventions do not have seem to have had any effect on the number of head injuries in adults. During the same period of time, the rate of traumatic brain injury involving bicycle accidents among adults dropped by less than 5.5%. This in spite of the fact that there was an increase in bicycle accident-related fatalities among adults during the study. In fact, in 2018, the number of bicycle accident fatalities involving adults in the United States was the highest in over two decades. According to the researchers, the drop in bicycle head injuries involving children has been as much as 9 times greater than those involving adults.

Published on: April 21, 2021

Most Parents Fail to Use Car Safety Seats in Uber

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Ride-sharing services have grown exponentially in popularity. However, many passengers who ride in these vehicles often neglect to practice safe riding practices. This also goes for parents riding with their children in ride-sharing vehicles.

Car safety seats are the single most important means of protection against serious injury or even death for children in an accident. However, many parents neglect to use these safety features when they are travelling in an Uber or a Lyft.

According to a new study, most parents who otherwise use car safety seats to protect their children fail to do so when they are travelling with children in a ride-sharing car. Those findings come from a recent study and have left researchers seriously alarmed because car accidents are the single biggest factor causing death among children below the age of 10 in the United States. Using car safety protection is a significant factor that can help keep children safe while travelling.

Published on: September 8, 2020

Increase in Dog bites Involving Children during Pandemic

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The pandemic and shelter-in-place restrictions across Georgia and the country have resulted in an increase in the number of children suffering dog bites.

A new study has found that there was an increase in the number of dog bites involving children between spring and summer this year. The researchers involved in the study are directly attributing this increase in dog bite attacks involving children to the shelter-in-place restrictions, as well as the increased stress brought on by the pandemic.

The research was conducted by a pediatric emergency department which reported a startling increase in the number of children reporting to the emergency department with injuries suffered in dog bites during spring and summer this year. The increase was as much as 3 times higher, compared to the same period of time last year. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Pediatrics recently.

Published on: April 17, 2020

Doctors Warn of “Skull Breaker” Brain Injury Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A Tik Tok stunt that has recently gone viral places teens at a high risk of brain injury and spinal injury.

The “Skull Breaker” challenge on the popular platform Tik Tok involves two teens pulling the legs out from under a third person who is essentially the victim. The resulting fall can cause a serious spine injury or brain injury. In fact, hospitals around the US have reported serious neck, spine and brain injuries linked to the stunt gone horribly wrong. And now that more children and teens are home due to schools being cancelled, the incidence of these injuries is rising.

Basically, the stunt involves tricking a third person into jumping, and sweeping their legs out from under them as they jump. When the victim falls, he is likely to sustain a severe impact to his skull, resulting in a head or brain injury. Other possible injuries include a spinal injury as the back sustains the maximum impact of the fall. These injuries have led to several hospitalizations.

Published on: September 12, 2019

Child Passenger Safety Week in September

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It may be surprising to know that as many as half of all child passengers in the United States are travelling in car seats and booster seats that are incorrectly installed or not suitable for the child’s age or weight specifications. Yet, many parents continue to remain unaware that they may be placing their child at risk of serious injuries in an accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is sponsoring Child Passenger Safety Week between September 15 and September 21 this year. The aim of the campaign is to make sure that parents know the importance of securing their child in the correct car seat for his age or weight, as well as making sure that the car seat is properly secured and installed. Parents should also remember to get their child’s car seat registered with the manufacturer.

One of the most important things to remember is to make sure that the car seat is installed correctly. You can get your car seat checked by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician to ensure that it is correctly installed. Find a car safety seat inspection technician near you by using this tool. Remember, an incorrectly installed car seat is at risk of coming loose or collapsing in an accident, causing serious injuries to the child.

Published on: May 29, 2019

Disturbing Trend of No Helmets While Biking Endangers Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Despite laws in Georgia and throughout the country, it may be surprising to know that many American parents fail to require their children to wear protective helmets while riding a bicycle or scooter, or skateboarding.

Those were the findings of a new poll that surveyed 1,300 parents across the country. According to the poll, as many as 18 percent of the parents admitted that their children never wore bicycle helmets while riding a bike. More than 58 percent admitted that their children didn’t wear helmets while skateboarding, and 61 percent admitted that their children never wore helmets while riding scooters.

Bicycling, skateboarding, and riding scooters are becoming more and more popular in Atlanta, not just as a form of recreation, but also as a form of transportation. These activities, however, also have a high potential for causing serious, or even fatal, injuries to a child. When a parent allows a child to ride without wearing a safety helmet, this only contributes to the risk of the child incurring serious injuries which can have devastating and often life-long impacts.

Published on: April 30, 2019

Who is Liable when Children Suffer a Dog Bite?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

With the warmer weather here, people will be out in parks and their neighborhoods, and many will be with their dogs. And while it is an almost universal truth that children love dogs, not all interactions between children and dogs involve are fun. Instead, a child may very well suffer a dog bite after innocently trying to show a dog some affection. After suffering a dog bite, many children end up with serious injuries, some of which can be serious enough to require surgery.

Over 4 million people are bitten by dogs each year, but only 17% of those get reported. According to statistics, children account for more than 50 percent of the dog bites recorded in the United States every year. They are also much more likely to suffer serious injuries. In Georgia, dog bites are considered a public health concern.

There are some things that parents can do to make sure that their child is not injured in dog bite attacks. Don’t leave your child alone with a dog. Pediatricians say that this holds true even for family dogs or dogs that are familiar to you. Remember, any dog can bite.

Published on: August 15, 2018

50 Percent of Parents Text While Driving With Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia recently passed the Hands-Free Law that prohibits all motorists from driving with a handheld electronic device. However, most would be surprised to know that an astonishing number of parents admit to setting poor driving examples for their children by using cell phones and communication devices while driving.

According to the results of a study which was published in the journal Pediatrics recently, about 50 percent of parents admitted to regularly talking on their cell phones while driving with their children. About 1 in 3 admitted to texting while driving, and 1 in 7 admitted to using social media while driving. The children in these cases were between 10 and 14 years of age – impressionable minds that absorb their parents’ examples and behavior.

What’s worse, but not too surprising, is that these parents were also likely to engage in other equally harmful driving practices, whether their children were in the car or not, such as failure to wear seatbelts or driving under the influence of alcohol. About 14.5 percent of the parents included in the study failed to place their child in child safety systems while driving. The study also found a direct link between the rates of driving under the influence of alcohol and irresponsible cell phone practices at the wheel.

Published on: December 12, 2017

Top 10 Dangerous Toys to Avoid This Holiday Season

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

From choking and suffocation hazards to burn risks, there are a number of ways that the toys on this year’s list of most dangerous toys of 2017 can harm your child. The consumer watchdog group World against Toys Causing Harm has made the job gift giving easier by compiling a list of the most dangerous toys this season. There have already been countless children injured in Georgia by these dangerous toys. If you’re considering buying any of the following toys as gifts, you may want to reconsider.

According to World against Toys Causing Harm, as reported by Consumer Reports, the toys on this year’s list are dangerous for a number of reasons.

The Hallmark Itty Bitty Baby Stacking Toy-These toys can pose a serious choking hazard to children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled these toys in August 2017, but parents can still access these toys online.

Published on: November 28, 2017

Stricter State ATV Laws Can Prevent Child Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

ATVs are the most popular off-road vehicles. However, these vehicles are far too heavy and bulky for children to handle. ATV vehicle use is linked to more than 3,000 fatalities in the United States over a span of three decades. More than 50% of these fatalities involved children.

The state of Georgia has some of the highest rates of ATV accidents involving children in the country. Lawmakers must invest time and resources in enacting legislation that sets restrictions on children’s use of all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles.

Children below the age of 16 should not be allowed to operate ATVs. Unfortunately, far too many parents believe that it is safe to let their children operate such a heavy vehicle not realizing that it poses a tremendous risk of severe injuries in an accident.