Child Injury Lawyer Blog

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

Spring and Summer months bring with them better weather and more swimmers. It is a great time for parents to think about water safety and about providing their children with qualified swimming lessons. Many YMCAs and other community centers through the nation offer baby water safety classes. It is a great gift for a parent to provide a child with the skills necessary to swim. Children are curious and have poor safety awareness. Some children unexpectedly fall into water including pools, lakes, and other areas. As such, a child, who has been provided swim lessons, may very well have a less likelihood of drowning and suffering drowning related injuries than a child with no training or experience with the water. Parents should check out local YMCAs and other groups and consider enrolling a small child in a swimming class. There are many qualified swimming instructors and programs out there. It is important for a parent to ask a lot of questions including the following:

What is the recommended age for a child to have initial swimming lessons?

What is the training of the instructor?

How long has the program been in effect?

What are the short term and long term goals of the swimming program?

What kind of instruction or techniques are involved with the swimming program?

How does the swimming instruction program differ from others in the area?

You can read more about infant / toddler / child swimming instruction programs at YMCAs Offer Baby Water Safety Classes.

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

Many parents dread the first day of summer almost as much as their children look forward to it. What to do with antsy kids for three months over the summer? Now is the time to start thinking about summer camp. The good ones fill up their rosters quickly. The following are some tips for narrowing down your choices.

1. Talk to your children: Find out from them what kind of camp they would be interested in attending so they can get the most out of it.
2. Stay organized: Once you know what type of camp you are looking for, make a list of available options. Keeping all the details in a neat list will help make the decision process easier.
3. Watch the budget: Make sure to pick a camp that is in a comfortable price range for you. Some camps offer financial assistance, so be sure to ask.
4. Day camp or Sleep-away? Before deciding, honestly assess whether your child is mature enough to handle a sleep-away camp, or if a day camp would be a better choice.
5. Make it work for your schedule: Make sure the pick-up and drop off times work with your work schedule. Finding other parents who can share carpooling duty can help as well.
6. Talk to the director: Getting a feel for the philosophy of the camp is important. Ask to speak to the director and find out what the camp values are.
7. Check into the staff; While you have the director on the phone, find out how they screen and train counselors and arrange to meet with them if it will make you feel more comfortable.
8. Ask about medical services: Many camps require staff to be trained in CPR and first aid, but don’t assume – ask.

Read more tips for making sure your kids are safe and happy at summer camp by visiting Summer Camps: Tips for picking the best camp for your kid.

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

Millions of parents rely on daycare centers to look after their children. But with the looming H1N1 epidemic, daycare centers could become breeding grounds for the potentially deadly virus. I recently had the opportunity to share my legal viewpoint about the ramifications of H1N1 and daycare center liability with Time Magazine.

If a child contracts H1N1 at a daycare center due to negligence on the part of the daycare, the parent could sue; especially if the disease led to hospitalization, permanent injury, or death. To protect themselves and the children they are caring for, daycare owners and managers need to take an active approach to keeping kids with H1N1 symptoms away from the daycare center and following proper sanitation procedures in the center.

To protect their children, parents need to understand that not all licensed daycare centers are compliant with the terms of their license, and that church-based daycare centers may be exempt from state regulations. Parents can be proactive by checking into the background and cleanliness of the daycare center where they leave their children.

Find out more about this story at Childcare Centers and Parents Brace for Flu Season.

By Joseph R. Hillebrand Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

In St. Louis, Missouri, a child was left a day care center van at the zoo. According to reports from the St. Louis Police Department, a 3 year old was left on a day care center van. The van was operated by the Heaven 24 / 7 Learning Center that was on a field trip on June 9th to the St. Louis Zoo. A visitor to the zoo heard a child yell for help from the van. The concerned patron was able to locate the day care group a few minutes later. The day care child care workers later admitted to failing to conduct a head count and failing to realize that a child was left behind. This kind of negligence could have caused serious personal injuries and even death to a child in a hot vehicle over summer months. You can read more about this story at Child Left in Day Care Van at the St. Louis Missouri Zoo.

Public swimming pools operated by States, Counties, and Cities have a duty to install and maintain proper swimming pool drain covers to comply with an important law called the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. This law was signed by President Bush on December 19, 2007 and was put in place to prevent drownings and other injuries caused by drains that do not have proper drain covers to prevent such drownings and entrapments. You can read the federal law at Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Having safety precautions in place at a swimming pool can help avoid personal injuries and drowning deaths. It is also important to have diligent supervision both by lifeguards and parents when children are in or around a swimming pool.

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

Summer camps are typically filled with friendship, fun, and the great outdoors. When there is a large congregation or gathering of children around, there are, at times, outbreaks of Influenza and other communicable diseases. It can be quite stressful for both the child and the parent, who is typically hundreds of miles away, to deal with an illness at camp. Most reputable summer camps have a doctor on staff to address the basic health needs of the child. Beyond the camp confines, there should be a medical facility, hospital, or clinic available for more in depth medical care and evaluation. Influenza can be quite troublesome and risky. It is spread person to person and even by object. For instance, a child can wipe his or her nose and then touch a door knob. This, in turn, can lead to the infection of another child. The Influenza virus can live for several days on an object like a door knob or a toy.

What should parents do when a child gets sick at camp? I recommend that the parent keep in close contact with the camp and the camp doctor. Ask to speak to your child. Many camps prohibit telephone contact due to a child becoming homesick. However, there are always exceptions and extraordinary circumstances beyond these in house camp rules.

I also recommend that parents consult with the child's own pediatrician and an Infectious Disease doctor for guidance and follow up. Get the summer camp to fax you the medical records so you can see what is being documented and done for your child's illness at summer camp.

You can read more about Influenza at When Your Child Is Sick - Influenza in Children.