South Carolina Child Injury Lawyer Blog

As discussed a couple weeks ago by your North Charleston auto accident attorneys, Lowcountry Officials are concerned about area kids' safety around the water this summer. And the Media Blitz to help educate parents and caregivers continues, a recent article in the South's Oldest Daily Newspaper, the Post and Courier, warns that the inflatable backyard kiddies pools are nearly as dangerous as their larger, in-ground counterparts.

This finding comes from a report by the journal, Pediatrics, and is the first study to look into the drowning danger posed to youngsters when playing in kiddie pools, more specifically inflatable pools ranging from small wading pools less than 18 inches deep to other soft-sided pools that can reach depths of 4 feet.

According to the report, a child dies in a portable pool every five days during the warmer months of the year. The report counted 209 death and 35 near-drowning from 2001 and 2009 that can be attributed to the backyard, portable pool. Of those deaths an extremely large majority, 94 percent were under the age of 5, and 81 percent of the drowning accidents occurred during the summer. The difficulty for parents, in regards to portable pools, is that the safety systems normally in place for larger in-ground pools (fences with self-closing and latching gates) don't apply to kiddie pools, and often the necessary layers of protection escape them.

Overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning ranks second as the cause of accidental injuries and deaths among children ages 1-14. But, the Centers note that toddlers are at the greatest risk when it comes to drowning.

Continue reading " Your South Carolina Child Injury Lawyers Continue Discussion on Drowning " »

In Monday's Post and Courier, your South Carolina auto accident lawyers read an article that brings attention to a sad reality concerning parents, their children, and their cars. Last year, 49 children died of heatstroke after they were left in hot cars in the United States. Considering the outrageously hot temperatures we've been having the last couple weeks, it is important that efforts be made to prevent incidents where a child is left in car and subjected to extreme heat.

Experts report, in the last 12 years, that the parents of more than half of the 500 children who died from being left in a hot car simply forgot their kids were even in the vehicle. Founder of the nonprofit organization Kids and Cars says that, "If you have the ability to forget your cell phone, you can forget your child." The reality of the situation is that terrible things don't only happen to terrible parents, while good parents may think they will never forget their youngster is in the back seat, they can.

Kids and Cars is planning to print warning tags that read "Look Before You Lock." These warning tags will go into hospital take-home kits for new mothers as reminders to not forget their child in the car. It was not specified in the Post and Courier's article how these tags are to be implemented, but your child injury attorneys at Howell and Christmas, LLC think they are to be used in a similar manner as the handicap parking tags that hang from the rearview mirror.

Continue reading " One Mother's Tragic Tale Helps Gain Awareness About Kids Being Left in Cars " »

A couple weekends back your South Carolina workers' compensation lawyers read of a sad incident where a 21-month-old toddler died after drowning in a pool behind her home. It's no surprise kids want to have some summer fun in the pool, but it is a major concern of Lowcountry officials that kids be safe this summer when enjoying their time away from school. Sadly, the toddler is not the only instance of a child drowning so far this summer, two young boys have also died in accidental drownings in St. Stephen and a 4-year-old girl had to be rescued from a Mt. Pleasant pool.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 people die everyday from drowning. Charleston area officials are hoping heightened attention to child drownings will help keep our area kids safe this summer and curb this unfortunate trend of child injury and death.

In a report from the Post and Courier, the 21-month-old toddler died from drowning after being found in her family's pool in North Charleston. According to the report, her family lost sight of the little girl and after a short search spotted her in a pool. Authorities responded to a drowning call made by the family and took the unconscious and unresponsive toddler to Medical University Hospital. Unfortunately, medical staff was not able to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the hospital 45-minutes after the call was made to police.

Continue reading " Recent Child Death in North Charleston Determined to be a Result of Drowning, Tips for Child Drowning Prevention " »

Your Charleston child injury lawyers recently read an article that describes an incident involving large inflatable attractions, commonly referred to as "Jump Castles" or "Bounce Houses." These toys are popular and fun for kids, but can create headaches for states in terms of how to classify these products and how to regulate their use. It has come to the attention of your experienced lawyers at Howell and Christmas, LLC that these inflatable attractions can be dangerous to children if they are not properly installed and anchored to the ground, or if they are not diligently supervised by an operator.

A 2005 Consumer Product Safety Commission report linked the popularity of inflatable amusement products with an increasing number of injuries being received at emergency rooms between 1997 and 2004. The Commission, in its report, was able to identify 1,300 injuries in 1997 and 4,900 injuries in 2004, this being the most recent data available.

Furthermore, the Commission warns that operators of these products should strictly follow the manufacturer's requirements to securing and anchoring inflatables to the ground, as to prevent the inflatable from being blown away and causing serious injuries to children and/or parents. In addition, larger inflatables, such as slides, should have at least two operators keeping an eye on the attraction and its young users. The Commission strongly urges operators to pay special attention to weight limits, making sure they are not exceeded to prevent collapse of the attraction on users.

According to RideAccidents.com, a website that tracks amusement ride accidents, at least ten inflatable toy attractions have been toppled over by strong winds or have collapsed under exceeded weight limits in the last two months. These instances have caused over 40 people to be injured.

Continue reading " Incident Involving Run-Away Inflatable Attractions Initiates Discussion on Safety Concerns " »

While browsing internet news sources your Charleston drunk driving accident lawyers read a tragic article that makes one wonder how some individuals can willfully put, not only their own life, but the lives of children in immediate danger. The Chicago Tribune reported that a 47-year-old woman, while driving drunk, lost control of her 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass when she attempted to pick up a fallen potato chip. At the time of the Memorial Day crash there were a total of 8 people were crammed into the Cutlass, which only seats five, four of which were young children. Because of the car was well over capacity none of the children were wearing seat belts, much less a car seat.

According to prosecutors, after losing control of the '93 Olds the car crashed into a guard rail and proceeded to spin around 7 times. Prior to the fatal auto accident, witnesses said they noticed the car swerving, and afterwards, State Police found a number of open beer cars inside the car. Reportedly the driver told the responding officers that she had been "drinking a lot of beer" at a barbeque before getting into the car, but the open cans within the vehicle suggest she, or one of the other passengers, had taken beers to drink on the road.

The female driver has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence (DUI) for an accident causing death and reckless homicide and held on $350,000 bond. Also according to the prosecutors, the woman's blood alcohol content was registered at .164, more than double the legal limit.

Continue reading " Drunk Driver Crashes Car Filled Beyond Capacity, Child Killed and Three Others Critically Injured " »