personal injuries in children Tag Archives

Published on: May 12, 2026

Dangers of ATV Use

ATVs, or all-terrain-vehicles, and MPOHVs, or multipurpose off-highway vehicles, are the source of an increasing number of crashes with fatalities or serious injuries. In the state of Georgia, there has been a spike in ATV and MPOHV crash fatalities, as reported by Fox 5. From January 1-June 20, 2025, Georgia State Patrol investigated 45 crashes which resulted in 13 deaths and 64 serious injuries. Overall for the year, there were eight fatalities linked to MPOHVs and six linked to ATVs, with 114 serious injuries.

Since these vehicles are typically operated off-road, their use is less regulated than that of other motor vehicles. ATV or MPOHV users may not be aware of laws pertaining to their use, or assume that there are no relevant laws if used on private property. This leads to improper use by consumers, with dangerous consequences. There are more injuries and fatalities tied to ATVs than to any other product regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to the CPSC, more than 100,000 ER visits occur annually due to ATV crashes. The danger is exacerbated by the fact that many ATV drivers are under the age of 16. In 2002, ATV safety advocates asked the CPSC to ban sales of adult-size ATVs for the use of children under the age of 16. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that no child under the age of 16 use an ATV. Unfortunately, there is still no federal standard for ATV age limits, helmet use, or other safety standards. Thirteen states have no age limit for ATV use, while nine states lack helmet regulations. Even within states, different municipalities often have their own laws surrounding ATV use.

This patchwork of laws ensures that consumers lack clarity about safety. This lack of clarity has led to ATV drivers and passengers using these vehicles unsafely, and without proper equipment such as helmets. Statistics suggest that helmets are greatly effective in preventing deaths and serious head injuries. Nationally, of all fatally injured ATV drivers or passengers, only 5 percent were wearing a helmet in 2023. Unfortunately, ATV riders are also at risk of death from driving under the influence. In 2023, 49% of fatally injured ATV drivers on public roads had BACs at or above 0.08%.

Published on: September 5, 2023

The Most At-Risk Groups for Slip and Fall Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Children, the elderly and -surprisingly enough – young adults seem to be at the highest risk of being involved in slip and fall accidents on stairs. Among young adults, women seem to be at a higher risk of personal injuries in such accidents.

These findings come from a new study, and while the fact that young children and the elderly are at a greater risk of falling should not come as a surprise, the inclusion of young adults in their twenties definitely raises eyebrows. According to the researchers, children below the age of 3 and elderly people above the age of 85 have the highest risk of suffering personal injuries in a fall on stairs. However, young adults in their twenties also have a significantly higher risk of being involved in slip and fall accidents.

Among young adults in their twenties, young women seem to have a higher slip and fall risk compared to males. The researchers analyzed the results of the study to understand the reasons for the higher fall risks involving females. They believe that inappropriate footwear could probably be a reason why young women are more likely to fall down stairs compared to males. The researchers specifically identify flip flops, sandals and heels as being inappropriate footwear that increase the risks of a fall down the stairs. They also believe that women are more likely to be walking with someone which means they are more likely to be talking and, therefore, distracted.

Published on: November 8, 2019

Women More Likely to be injured in Accidents; Yet Safety Testing Focuses on Men

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It may be surprising to learn that women are as much as 73 percent more likely to suffer serious injuries in a car accident compared to men. Yet, the country’s federal safety regulatory authorities continue to ignore the need for testing standards that focus on the unique physiological differences between male and female bodies.

Hopefully this will change soon as at least one lawmaker is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to include crash test dummies that mimic the unique physiological and anatomical differences of females in 2019 in the design of its crash tests.

This is not the first time that attention has been drawn to the fact that women’s safety receives less priority when it comes to crash testing standards and auto safety. As far back as 1981, experts proposed that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration use crash test dummies representing the average female occupant of a motor vehicle. However, no real steps have been taken to address this safety concern in the close to four decades since that first proposal was submitted. Even when female crash test dummies are used, the dummy is an outdated model that was designed in the 1970s and only represents 5 percent of American women today. In fact, this particular dummy design is also actually used to substitute for dummies representing 12 and 13 -year -old child occupants.

Published on: December 12, 2016

Avoid Dangerous Toys This Holiday Season

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Buying toys and gifts for loved ones this season? Here are some tips to keep in mind, especially if shopping for young children.

Many popular toys come with severe injury risks, specifically the risk of eye injuries. Injuries involving toys are far too common to ignore. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2014, there were approximately 251,800 injuries related to the use of toys reported to emergency rooms across the United States. That works out to approximately 500 child injuries every single day. Nearly 50% of these injuries involved children below the age of four. And a significant 44% of those injuries involved injuries to the face and head areas.

The eyes are especially vulnerable to impact from projectiles, or sharp edges on children’s toys. These injuries can be severe, and even have permanent effects on the victim. One study published recently in the JAMA Ophthalmology journal found that air guns, basketballs and baseballs cause approximately 50% of all sports-related eye injuries.

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: November 25, 2013

Tips for Safe Holiday Gift Shopping for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Most retailers across the country are reporting early holiday shopping this year as consumers start buying for family, co-workers, and friends.Many of those gifts will include children’s accessories, toys, and other products. This is the right time of the year to remind parents that the toys and products that they choose for their children must be safe from the risk of injuries.

Most injuries related to children’s products involve the face and head, including a large number to the eyes and forehead area. Unfortunately, there are far too many children’s toys that come with removable parts and sharp parts that pose a serious eye injury hazard.When you buy toys as gifts this holiday season, avoid toys that come with protruding parts, spikes, or sharp or pointed edges.

Avoid buying guns and shooting toys, or toys that come with parts that fly off. These can actually turn into dangerous projectiles, and can cause injuries not just to the child who is using the toy, but also other children and adults in the environment.

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: August 7, 2011

Georgia’s New Booster Seat Laws Will Protect Children from Injuries in Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new Georgia law that increases the age of children, who need to be safely restrained in booster seats from 6 to 8, went into effect on July 1.This law now increases the number of child passengers who are required to be restrained in booster seats, thereby protecting these children from fatal injuries in the event of a car accident.

Under the law, your six or seven-year-old will also be required to be strapped into a booster seat.The law will exempt any children from the booster seat rules if they measured at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.Other exemptions apply, but they are limited to vehicles without shoulder straps and for children who medically cannot be restrained in a booster seat.

Current car accident statistics from around the country underscore the need for the law.According to data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto accidents are the number one cause of death for children between the age of three and fourteen.In 2009 alone, 909 children above the age of five, and ten children below the age of four were killed in Georgia accidents.

Published on: June 4, 2011

Two Children Injured in Atlanta Car Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Two children were left seriously injured in a pedestrian accident in southwest Atlanta last week.The accident occurred near Donnelly Avenue, and involved a stolen car. As an Atlanta injury attorney, I have too often seen stolen vehicles involved in auto accidents involving serious injuries. We need to continue to work hard to reduce the number of vehicle thefts which in turn will reduce the number of these accidents.

According to Atlanta Police, a group of four young men seem to have stolen a Dodge Intrepid.The two children, aged seven and nine were walking on a sidewalk with their mother.The nine-year-old child suffered from cerebral palsy, and was in a wheelchair.The child was thrown out of the wheelchair when the car struck, and was slammed on the pavement.The younger child suffered a broken arm.The mother also suffered injuries.

According to several witnesses, the car had been traveling erratically down the road just before the accident.The four young men got out of the car and fled the scene of the accident.The police are still looking for these men as investigations continue.

Published on: April 30, 2011

Students Injured in School Bus Accident in Gwinnett County, Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Several school students were injured in a bus accident involving two school buses in Gwinnett County earlier this week.The accident occurred at an intersection where two school buses were stopped.A third bus approached the scene, and rear-ended the second bus.The driver of the third school bus sustained minor injuries, and was taken to the Gwinnett Medical Center.Unfortunately, as an Atlanta injury attorney, I have seen too many bus accidents result in far more serious injures and wrongful death.

There were a total of 38 children on the third bus, and 10 of them suffered back injuries. The students on the other two buses did not suffer any injuries.The driver of the bus has been cited for following too close.The drivers of the other two buses have been suspended temporarily while an investigation into the accident continues.

Atlanta bus accident lawyers will have to wait until investigations are completed to learn why the third bus driver was not able to stop in time to avoid crashing into the other bus.However, it’ll probably be worthwhile to probe the role of distractions and inattention as a factor in this crash.School bus drivers have an additional responsibility to be cautious and completely attentive while driving.These buses carry some of our most precious cargo, which makes it all the more important for drivers to be attentive at all times.