South Carolina Child Injury Lawyer Blog

Over the weekend, your Charleston accident lawyers at Howell and Christmas, LLC were informed of a truly tragic incident involving a family's new dog and their 2-month-old baby boy born on Valentine's Day. According to reports, the 2-month-old was apparently pulled from an infant's swing inside his family's mobile home and his legs dismembered by a golden retriever-Labrador mix. The dog was named "Lucky," and had been described as a gentle and friendly creature. Authorities and investigators have called the dog attack one of the most gruesome seen on the job, as well as one the saddest days in their respective careers.

After questioning, authorities have learned that the infant's father was sleeping in a bed with the infant's 3-year-old sibling and the family's other canine at the time of the fatal dog attack. The infant's mother was with their 7-year-old at a doctor's appointment. The dog responsible for the attack (Lucky) was adopted only a few weeks ago, after its previous owners wanted to give it up. The infant's family had cared for the dog as "dog sitters" prior to adopting him. Authorities have not been informed of any past complaints of aggressive or malicious behavior.

What seems to be the most surprising aspect of this incident, is that the infant's father did not wake up at any point during the dog attack, despite his being in a nearby room with the door open. According to officials, the father was still asleep when the infant's mother returned home to find her baby boy on the floor by the swing, legs separated from his body, and his abdomen ruptured and bleeding from numerous dog bites. The infant was rushed to Summerville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No charges have been filed against the parents, but investigations by numerous state and local agencies are ongoing.

Continue reading "Newly Adopted Dog Kills Infant and Other Unfortunate Lowcountry Incidents of Child Injury and Death" »

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" »

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" »

Charleston Child Injury Attorneys want to remind all pool owners and operators of the potential safety hazards that arise every summer in the Low Country. In Darlington, SC a teenager died and another child was injured while swimming in a public pool.

The Children were playing at the Darlington City Pool when lifeguards cleared the pool due to weather-related concerns. After the accident occured, both children were rushed to the Hospital for treatment. Sadly, one teen was declared dead.The other child is still being treated for his injuries.

An estimated 5,000 children, ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to water immersion and drowning-related causes each year. Proper prevention techniques like careful pool maintenance and supervision of one's children during playtime can help save lives.

Source: The Charleston Post and Courier, "1 dead, 1 Hurt in Pool Accident" May 31st, 2010