Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Jeremy Vishno, Attorney, and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The Roman Catholic Diocese in Bridgeport, Connecticut sought to block the release of documents related to a number of sexual abuse / molestation cases previously brought against the church. The documents related to lawsuits that were settled by the church in the past. Newspapers had previously sought to obtain access / release to more than 12000 pages of documents from 23 lawsuits that were filed based on the alleged actions of six priests. The records have been sealed since the cases were settled in 2001. The release of these documents may help publicized prior bad acts of priests and may, in turn, encourage other victims to step forward. You can read more about this story at Supreme Court Denies Church Request to Block Records Release to Newspapers.
A Masuk of Monroe, CT school bus, carrying its high caliber football team was struck by a pick-up truck that failed to yield the right of way. The collision caused serious injuries to the pick-up’s driver, but the players had no immediate complaints of injuries during on-scene evaluations. It remains to be seen as to whether the players, students at Masuk High School in Monroe, CT will feel the effects of that bus versus truck accident in the days to come, as is often the case in motor vehicle accidents. Many times, hours, days, and even weeks after an accident, the first real signs of injuries can rear their ugly heads. That is why it is critically important to have any child who was in an auto or school bus accident fully evaluated by a doctor or hospital personnel, and to pay attention to their complaints in the days and weeks after. This is true even if the accident seems to have minor damage to the vehicles involved. Cars are designed to absorb these impacts, while the human body is not.
In Derby, Connecticut, an 11 year old boy had just received his first new bicycle for Christmas. It was a BMX style bicycle, with grinding bars and front handle bars that could spin completely around, allowing for all sorts of cool tricks. A special brake mechanism allowed the handle bars to spin completely around so that riders could perform “extreme” tricks while the front wheel is off the ground, such as a “bar spin.” Unfortunately, when the bicycle was assembled at the store that sold it to the boy’s mom, the brake cables were not properly attached to the discs above the wheel and below the handle bars. A few days of riding and the boy was ready to try some jumps with his friends. On his first jump, he flew only a short distance, but when he tried to stop the bicycle with the front brakes, nothing happened! The fence that loomed just ahead was too close for him to avoid, and he struck it head on. On impact, the boy’s body moved forward off his seat, striking the base of the handle bars, where the brake discs, hard steel plates, were located. This impact caused serious personal injuries: a severe laceration of the boy’s penis and scrotum, requiring immediate hospitalization, surgery and anti-biotics. A lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer, the toy store and the company that assembled the bicycle for the store.
Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General for the State of Connecticut, headed up a campaign to remove sex offers and child predators from My Space, a popular social networking site used by children, young adults, and adults. Blumenthal was shocked and dismayed by the number of offenders who got on the site and registered profiles. Blumenthal commented that the numbers were “appalling and unacceptable”.
Thousands of children are abused and neglected every year in the State of Connecticut. The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau reported that 13,285 incidents of child abuse took place in 2004. You can read more about these statistics and more at