By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Georgia and other States, adults and children enjoy riding ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles). ATV riding can be quite dangerous as well. It is important for adults and children riding ATVs to follow safety precautions by wearing helmets, knowing the terrain where the riding is taking place, and by traveling at a safe speed.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Albany, Georgia, and other areas, violence, especially gun violence, can pose a threat and danger to young children. Day care centers are supposed to be havens of safety and education. Unfortunately, incidents take place that result in a disruption of this safety for children. In Albany, Georgia, gun shots went into the wall of a home day care center where 7 children were sleeping. No personal injuries were reported but it is frightening to know that violence can come so close to innocent children. You can read more about this story at Gun Shots – Day Care Center – Albany, Georgia.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A teenage boy from Atlanta, Georgia recently broke up with his girlfriend by sending her, her mother, and her sisters nude images of himself via cell phone text message. According to Cecily Hill, the Republican State Representative for Kingsland, Georgia, the boy could not be charged with any specific crime; that has led Kingsland to introduce legislation that would make so-called “sexting” – sending nude images over cell phone text messaging systems – illegal. It represents an update to a current law that prohibits transmitting obscene images of minors on floppy disks, CDs, or computer bulletin boards.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper website reported that a baby boy died while under the care of a babysitter. It appears that the baby was being cared for in an unlicensed day care center in the sitter’s home. The mother and this unlicensed child care provider met through the popular website – Craigslist. While Craigslist is a wonderful tool used by millions of people, the website really does not provide for any background searches or quality assurance checks regarding day care providers or day care centers. Parents and guardians should check with local and state day care licensing authorities before entrusting the care of a child in a “day care center”. You can read more about this story at Baby Dies in Sitter’s Care in Unlicensed Day Care Center.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Police departments and law enforcement agencies are using text messaging to help solve crimes. Anderson Software is a company that provides software / technology that allows text messengers to anonymously send in a text message crime tip. The text message goes through a third party computer server, assigned an encrypted alias and then finally forwarded to the police. Many people feel that they will be identified as a snitch when informing the police of important information. By using this technology, some police believe that more people will help police in solving old crimes and preventing new ones from taking place. You can read more about this technology at Text a Crime Tip Programs Assist Police.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Gwinnett County Police reported an accident involving a death of a teen and personal injuries to two other teens. Tristan Sadler (Age 18) lost control of a 1989 Volvo while driving in a curve. The vehicle hit a drainage ditch and then overturned. Tristan was ejected. It was reported that Tristan was not wearing a seat belt.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The State of Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is the state agency responsible for supervising and licensing child care and day care centers in Georgia. Child safety advocates and educators recommend that more strict training and education requirements be put in place for administrators and lead teachers in day care centers. By enacting and enforcing such regulations, day care providers and lead teachers will be required to go through training and education which, in turn, will make them more informed and knowledgeable about their responsibilities as child care providers. It is vital that children, especially toddlers and infants, are cared for in an environment that is clean and supervised by alert, knowledgeable and educated staff members. You can read more about the potential changes in Georgia’s child care laws at Georgia Day Care Providers May Be Subject to Stricter Training Requirements.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
School bus drivers and teachers have a duty to provide for the education and safety of children. When a person takes a job of such importance and responsibility, it is vital that the person is mature, ethical, and has common sense. The purpose of these supervisory jobs is to watch or care for children not date them. In various States including Georgia, there have been reports of teachers and other school employees have inappropriate relationships / sexual relationships with students. In Georgia, the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16 years old; however, there are exceptions to the law if an adult has a supervisory position like a teacher or bus driver over the student. In Union County, Georgia, Jacqueline Connally, age 22, was recently arrested for having an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student according to a story posted in the Atlanta Journal Constitution Newspaper website. At the time of the incident(s), the student was 16 years old. Another student had reported the relationship to authorities. The news story did not report what evidence other than this testimony would be presented to support the charges. In other cases throughout the nation, valuable evidence was presented after obtaining records from mobile phones an Internet Service Providers as well as from sites like Facebook. There are often times an electronic trail of evidence to support these crimes / inappropriate relationships. Teachers and other school district employees should focus on their jobs and date or avoid inappropriate relationships or the appearance of inappropriate relationships with students.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Lacrosse is a sport that increases with popularity each year. Due to the contact nature of the sport, there have been a number of reported injuries to children and young adults every year resulting from Lacrosse. David Marshall, M.D. recently posted an article about child injuries and Lacrosse. Dr. Marshall is the Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Program for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta Georgia. Dr. Marshall noted that approximately 300,000 children play Lacrosse and it is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States for boys and girls. The type of protective gear typically used by boys is different than that for girls. Many girl clubs and teams do not wear helmets or the protective gear when body checking is not permitted. Due to the potential contact and injuries that may be inadvertently caused by the Lacrosse stick and ball, some safety advocates may argue that it is better to have all available safety equipment in use even if the risks of injury is low when body checking is not permitted. Reported injuries from Lacrosse include abrasions, contusions, muscle and tendon strains, shin splints, fractures, and facial injuries. Parents should speak to coaches and club administrators about safety precautions in place and gear used for Lacrosse practices and games. You can read more about Dr. Marshall’s article at Lacrosse and Common Injuries from the Game.
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is the agency responsible investigating and fining day care centers in Georgia. This agency is investigating an incident involving a child in the day care program at A Child’s World, Hephzibah, Georgia. DJ Murray, age 6, was left on a day care school bus after being transported to the day care center. He apparently fell alseep while on the ride to the day care center.
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