Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Scott A. Marks, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
According to authorities, seven middle school students in San Francisco, California, were taken to the hospital after they ingested rat poison, which they mistakenly took for candy. The incident occurred at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle school. A student told a parent about ingesting a blue cube found atop of filing a cabinet. A teacher later contacted poison control. Although the students showed no symptoms, they were taken to the hospitals for precautionary reasons. School officials say the incident is under investigation. To read more on this story please see Middle school students taken to hospital after ingesting rat poison mistaken for candy.
Many children and parents believe that a BB gun is a toy and posed no real danger to children. Many child safety advocates would disagree. In Logansport, Indiana, a 6 year old girl suffered personal injuries when she was accidentally shot in the head by a BB gun at a younger friend’s house. The younger friend was only 3 years old. Lt. Cathi Collins with the Logansport Police Department reported that the 6 year old (Ariana Roman) was be treated and monitored at the Fort Wayne Hospital – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The BB gun shot incident caused damage to an artery in the brain and a skull fracture. The BB gun at issue was placed on a shelf but was still within reach of the children.
In Austin, Texas and other cities, parents, caregivers, day care providers, child care providers, and, yes, babysitters should recognize that small children are at risk of serious personal injury from any act of pushing shoving, hitting, shaking, and / or punching. Infants and toddlers will cry. They will disobey and they will throw fits. Child care providers must recognize that small children are small children. In dealing with children, the answer should never be to raise a fist to the child, to push the child, or to shake the child. This is especially important since small children are at risk for Shaken Baby Syndrome which can lead to serious permanent brain injuries and in some instances death.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning and recall notice for roman shades sold by Ethan Allen Design Centers under the Ethan Allen brand name. The recall involves over 150,000 shades, which are said to pose a strangulation threat if a child places his or her neck between the inner cord and the fabric back of the shade, or if the child wraps the inner cord or exposed loop around his or her neck.
Both spring break and summer are just around the corner, so now is a great time for parents and children to refresh their water safety skills. Planning ahead can make a day at the beach, pool or water park fun and relaxing for everyone.
A young boy is in critical condition from gun injuries he suffered in his own home. The child, whose name and age have not been released to the press, was put to bed in his parents’ bedroom one night. During the night he apparently discovered his father’s loaded firearm in the night stand. The gun went off, piercing the child’s arm and his abdomen.
Over 2 million children are injured each year from hazards in the home. Yes, hazards in the home. The blog / website www.bestparentingskills.com published a very good article that outlined 12 safety devices that parents and homeowners can put in place to prevent many of these unfortunate and some times tragic incidents / injuries from taking place. See 
A common every day object like a chopstick or a pencil may seem harmless. However, these common objects can actually be very dangerous to infants and toddlers. A news story was reported from Beijing, China involving a 14 month old boy who accidentally had a chopstick go up his nose and into his brain from a fall. Fortunately, doctors were later able to remove the chopstick through surgery. Doctors were concerned about a possible infection because the chopstick was dirty.
A Massachusetts five year old boy and his seven year old sister were visiting family recently when the visit turned tragic. The family’s pet bullmastiff charged the children, wounding the little girl and seriously injuring the little boy. The dog reportedly attacked without warning or provocation, as the family was leaving the house. The child suffered serious facial injuries from the attack and was taken to the hospital. The dog, a 2 ½ year old, is under the supervision of animal control officers and will remain in quarantine until the owners make a decision on what to do with the animal.