Children with Personal Injuries

Published on: June 30, 2016

Children, Mail Carriers at High Risk for Dog Bites

With summer here we are reminded that some victims of dog bites seem to have it much harder than others. Children below the age of five, and postal workers are at a much higher risk of dog bites, especially during summer days.

During summer, dogs are much more likely to be out with their owners, or may be left off their leash, and that places postal workers at a much higher risk of bites. National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which this year was marked in the third week of May, focused specifically on educating people about the risks of dog bites. The U.S. Postal Service estimates that more than 5,500 postal employees suffered bites in 2013.

Children are also frequently injured during summer because they are out of school, and may be in playgrounds, parks or other places where dogs are being walked. Children are also much more likely to pet strange dogs, or to display other behavior that could be risky, and could lead to an attack.

Published on: January 13, 2015

Riding an Adult-Sized ATV Can Be Deadly for a Child

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Pediatricians and child safety advocates have long known of the dangers involving children and adult all-terrain vehicles (ATV). However, according to a new study, children who ride adult-sized ATVs may have the highest risk of suffering fatal injuries in an accident.

According to the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, fatal accidents were most likely to involve children riding adult-sized ATVs, or not wearing a helmet while riding. In 95% of the fatal ATV accidents analyzed in the study, the victims were riding large vehicles at the time. In spite of all the media attention on the dangers of these vehicles, far too many parents allow their children to drive adult-sized ATVs. Your child should not ride in an adult-sized ATV, even as a passenger.

Here’s a fact many parents may not know; in the United States, more children die in ATV accidents than in bicycle accidents. That’s partly because the dangers of riding on such vehicles isn’t fully appreciated by parents.In addition, the great majority of children do not have the kind of physical or cognitive maturity that is needed to operate an adult-sized ATV.

Published on: April 8, 2013

Summer Means Increased Risk of Dog Bites Involving Georgia Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Warm Georgia weather brings more children out to play in parks and playgrounds, as well as an increased number of dog owners walking their pets.Unfortunately, this combination always increases the number of dog bites involving children.

In addition, the issue of dog bites and children is likely to be more prominent in our state after a recent incident involving a pet store altercation where a small child was bitten by a dog.The child and his mother were at the store when the child reached out to pet a little dog.The animal attacked him, leaving the child with serious injuries, including 9 stitches on his nose.

When a witness tried to stop the two men who owned the dog from leaving the store, one of them allegedly brandished a weapon, and threatened him before they drove away.

Published on: January 13, 2012

Columbus Toddler Recovering after Dog Bite Attack

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A two-year-old girl in Columbus is recovering after a ferocious dog bite involving a Rottweiler. Unfortunately, dog bite attacks are all too common today. As a personal injury attorney who has regularly handled dog bite cases, I know that these animal attacks often result in serious and permanent personal injury to the victims. There have been a number of dog bite incidents which have resulted in the wrongful death of the individual.

The attack occurred on Friday afternoon, when the toddler was walking home with her grandmother.She saw the dog behind a fence, and wanted to play with it.By the time the grandmother could reach the little girl, she had already opened the door, and was playing with the dog.The animal attacked her, leaving her with several bite wounds and ripping off part of her scalp.

The toddler had to be rushed to the hospital, where doctors worked to reattach her scalp.She needed several skin grafts.She’s also expected to require more surgery to sew more skin back on.Police don’t expect to file any charges at this point.The dog has been taken into animal control’s custody.

Published on: December 14, 2011

Woman, Children Injured in Georgia Truck Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Four people, including a woman and three children were injured in a truck accident in Loganville, Georgia.The accident occurred on Friday when a tractor-trailer crashed into an SUV. According to police, the truck accident occurred at an intersection when the tractor-trailer struck the SUV in the left rear quarter panel.Witnesses at the scene have confirmed to police that the SUV driver had the green light.Police have charged the tractor-trailer driver with failure to obey a traffic control device.The female driver of the SUV has also been charged with failure to restrain a child.Her three children were in the car, an eleven-year-old, a ten-year-old and fourteen-year-old, were taken to a hospital.

Failure to obey traffic laws is important for any motorist, but these failures can be critical and can have devastating effects when they involve tractor-trailer drivers.Drivers of these massive commercial trucks are at a high risk of causing an accident when they run red lights, tailgate or break other traffic rules.The risk to motorists in the vicinity of a truck is high because drivers of smaller vehicles involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer are at a much higher risk of being injured.As truck accident attorneys know, an overwhelming majority of accidents that involve a tractor-trailer and a smaller passenger vehicle end with serious personal injury or wrongful death of the occupants of the smaller vehicle.

Those are frightening odds for any motorist to beat, and tractor-trailer drivers must always keep that fact in mind.Further, tractor-trailer drivers must avoid dangerous behaviors like speeding or distracted driving.Speeding is believed to be the number one factor in commercial truck accidents in the United States, contributing to more accidents every year than drunk driving or distracted driving.Driving at speeds beyond the posted limits for commercial trucks, or at speeds that are inappropriate for current traffic, weather conditions, can lead to devastating accidents.

Published on: March 27, 2011

Atlanta Boy Injured in SUV Car Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A six-year-old Atlanta boy who was injured in an SUV car accident in Cobb County is expected to recover from his injuries.The boy had been injured in the accident that occurred on Sunday at the intersection of Macland Road and John Ward Road.

The child was apparently traveling in an SUV that was T-boned by another vehicle at the intersection.The impact of the accident caused the SUV to flip over.The boy sustained a head injury, and had to be rushed to the hospital.Police are likely to charge the other driver with failure to yield.

Very often, Atlanta car accident attorneys notice that T-bone collisions which occur near an intersection, occur because one of the drivers ran a red light.T-bone accidents involve a car that crashes through traffic and into the side of another car.These side-impact accidents are some of the most injurious of all auto accidents.Side impact crashes can cause serious injuries and fatalities, because there is very little space protecting the occupants of the car from the full impact of the collision.This is unlike a frontal impact collision, where the front of the automobile absorbs much of the energy from the accident, cushioning the occupants from injuries.

Published on: February 19, 2011

Infant Killed in Atlanta Truck Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A six-month-old infant, who had sustained critical injuries in a Cobb County, Georgia truck accident, has succumbed to his injuries. Cobb County police have charged the truck driver involved in the truck accident. Any injury and death in a truck accident is sad, but that is especially true when such a young life is lost.

The accident occurred over the weekend, when tractor trailer driver Henry Lipps crashed his rig into the rear of a car. In the car were a couple and their six-month-old baby, strapped into his car seat. Both parents were injured, and taken to the Atlanta Medical Center. The baby suffered critical injuries, and was taken to Scottish Rite Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries earlier this week

Investigators believe that the tractor-trailer driver failed to brake, and crashed into three separate vehicles, including the GMC Arcadia, Toyota Highlander and a Buick LeSabre at the Windy Hill Road exit. The driver of the LeSabre and his passenger also suffered visible injuries, and were rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Published on: April 10, 2010

Children More Likely to Be Injured by Routines During the Holidays

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Children More Likely to Be Injured by Routine Things During Holidays

It’s no secret that children run a much higher risk of being injured during a major holiday like Christmas, than other days. However, contrary to what many parents believe, the risks to children are not so much from performing holiday-specific tasks, as from doing routine everyday things, or so, a new study says.

Researchers compared the five-day period around eight major American holidays – Labor Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween and New Year’s. The study which used data between 1997 and 2006, revealed that most holiday injuries involve sports and recreation activities.That’s not any different from the rest of the year when children hurt themselves the most while playing.

Published on: April 9, 2010

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Bicycle Safety Tips for Children

A tragic bicycle accident last week in south Fulton County killed a nine-year-old boy. The tragedy is a reminder of the risks to Atlanta’s children as summer creeps up on us.

More children can be expected to take to their bicycles as the weather gets warmer, and as Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers, we are concerned at the possibility of accidents involving kids on bicycles. There is much that parents can do to encourage safe bicycling habits in their children.

Published on: March 11, 2010

Child Criticallly Injured in Dog Attack in DeKalb County

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An eight-year-old girl has suffered critical injuries in an attack involving two dogs outside her home in DeKalb County.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Erin Ingraham was playing outside her home on Tuesday afternoon when she was approached by two Staffordshire Terriers. The dogs attacked her, and officers who responded to the scene had to use batons to pry the animals off the little child. The two dogs then attacked the officer, upon which the dog was shot and killed. The second dog ran away from the scene and was later captured by animal control officers.

The owner of the dog has been located and is likely to face charges. Erin suffered serious injuries that required vascular and plastic surgery. This has been a horrific attack by any standards, and we wish Erin a speedy and complete recovery. Unfortunately, it looks like Erin has a long recuperation period ahead of her. The next few weeks, or even months, are not going to be easy.