Posted On: July 29, 2011

Kids Left in Car at West Ashley Parking Lot, Great-Grandmother Faces Serious Charges

648681_parking_lot.jpgEarlier this month, your South Carolina personal injury lawyers brought to our readers attention the issue of leaving kids in the car during the hot summer months. And despite the efforts of organizations like Kids and Cars and Safe Kids USA, unfortunately, there are still caregivers and guardians leaving their children in hot cars. The earlier entry was centered on the issue of parents and guardians forgetting their kids in the car, but this post and report is to deal with caretakers intentionally leaving children in the car while they run an errand.

Last week, an 81-year-old great-grandmother was accused of leaving two children in the car while she went into a Walmart. According to the woman’s lawyer, it was her intention to only be inside the store for a few minutes. But, according to police, the great-grandmother was in the West Ashley store for almost an hour.

She was arrested at the store after a Walmart employee discovered the two children, ages eight- and nine-years old, and a dog in a car with rolled up windows. The employee was able to get the kids to unlock the car and escorted them inside the store.

Due to this event, the woman was charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child and one count of animal neglect. In Charleston County Magistrate Court, the great-grandmother’s bail was set at $25,000 on each of the two counts of unlawful conduct, setting her total bail at $50,000. The animal neglect charge will be addressed in municipal court.

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Posted On: July 1, 2011

Miniature Train Accident Prompts South Carolina to Change Amusement Ride Inspections

914441_merry_go_round.jpgAbout a month ago, your Charleston personal injury lawyers discussed an awful accident involving a children's ride in Spartanburg's Cleveland Park. In March of this year a miniature train derailed and flipped into a ditch, and according to authorities, excessive speed was to blame for the accident that killed a 6-year-old boy and injured 28 others. This serious accident has prompted the South Carolina Labor Department to take a hard look at how our State's amusement rides are inspected, especially considering the State's safety inspector responsible for checking the ride admitted after the crash that he had falsified the report to approve the ride for operation because a dead battery prevented him from testing the ride. The weekend after the safety inspector cleared the ride that he never tested; it opened, derailed, and crashed on its first day of operation, the rest is horrific history. It should be noted that this particular inspector, in his more than three years of work, issued only a single violation.

Beginning September 1, 2011, the Department of Labor's Licensing and Regulation division will use outside contractors to review a multitude of amusement rides and thousands of elevators around the State. Of course, these outsourced inspectors are specially licensed to do such safety reviews and inspections. As it is now, inspections have been done by state employees, which translates to only one set of eyes looking over South Carolina's amusement rides and elevators. Authorities feel that having the outside contractors going behind the State's work will be beneficial in preventing, and hopefully one day eliminating, fatal accidents like the one in Spartanburg.

Continue reading " Miniature Train Accident Prompts South Carolina to Change Amusement Ride Inspections " »

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