Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Rob Shainess, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In St. Paul, Minnesota, Arahon Atlas was severely bitten by a dog that outweighed the 8 year old boy by over 30 pounds. As a result of the dog bite attack, Arahon received medical treatment and needed over 50 stitches for the injuries. Arahon was on his way to go swimming with a friend when the dog bite attack took place. St. Paul Minnesota animal control quarantined the dog and officials will make a determination of the dog qualifies as a dangerous or a potentially dangerous dog. The family of the boy expects that the boy will recover from the dog bite related injuries. See Eight Year Old Suvives Dog Attack.
In Ohio and other States, parents entrust schools and day care centers to provide a safe and clean learning environment for their children. In addition, parents expect that the teachers and staff members employed by the school and the day care center are alert, healthy, and doing their best to supervise and educate the children. Unfortunately, some teachers and day care workers shirk these responsibilities and engage in other activities at school that take away from their effectiveness and attentiveness. This can include excessive texting, Facebooking, computer and video games, taking on the cell phone, and, yes the use of drugs and alcohol. In Westlake, Ohio, it was reported that a substitute teacher was arrested for allegedly drinking at Westlake High School. The incident took place on April 8, 2011 where police were dispatched to the school. The teacher, Anne M. Keller, was cited for Disorderly Conduct Intoxication and having an Open Alcohol Container at the school. She later pled guilty to both of these charges. The physical evidence observed by the police was a Grey Goose Vodka botte. See
In Georgia and other States, there are dangers in most residential communities. What is one of the most common dangers? Ponds and lakes are among the most common dangers in residential neighborhoods. While the scenery and view of a lake or pond can be quite beautiful, there are risks of these water ways especially to young children. Many lakes and ponds are not fenced or otherwise situated to prevent young children from wandering into them. Because of this, young children die every year from accidental drownings. One such drowning was recently reported in near Chatsworth, Georgia. A 22 month old child (Aiden Hammontree) apparently wandered into a pond near the family home and drowned. The death of this child is certainly a tragic loss for the family, neighborhood, church, and the community. See 
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A day care operator and one of her employees have been accused of child abuse at a child care center in Surry County, North Carolina. The charges were formally pressed against 46-year-old Renee Frances, co-owner of the child care center, and 26-year-old Patricia Ann Seville, an employee at the center, following a two-month investigation. Frances and Seville were charged with child abuse and neglect, arrested and their bond set a $25,000 unsecured. According to Sheriff Graham Atkinson, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office was contacted on February 16 about a 2-year-old that had been abused at Blackburn’s Nursery and Day Care. An investigation was immediately initiated and included numerous interviews before warrants were formally issued. Although Frances and Seville have been arrested, the lead detective on the case said she is currently unable to release specifics on the type of abuse alleged. For more read
Janaysia Stevenson was the unfortunate and tragic victim of child abuse. Recently, law enforcement officials and prosecutors in Albany, Georgia pressed criminal charges against the director of the day care center. What alleged crime was committed by the day care director? According to Georgia law enforcement officials, the day care director (Glenda Ann Brown) failed to report child abuse. Authorities believe that Glenda Ann Brown should have reported injuries and bruises to the child to authorities so that a child abuse investigation could have been initiated. There will be many issues involved with a case like this including:
In Texas, a 65 year old babysitter (Carolyn “Carrie” Marie Easton) was arrested for allegations that she shook and slapped 5 month old triplets under her care. The interesting part of this case is that the alleged abuse was caught on tape by the parents who had installed a hidden video camera. The parents were concerned about the amount of play time that the children received under the babysitter’s care and supervision. When the parents viewed the tape, the parents discovered the abuse and neglect by the babysitter. The acts were not only horrible but also criminal in nature.
A former Littleton, Colorado, day care center employee was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault upon a child. It was reported that 32-year-old Paul James Kerr was a lead teacher at KinderCare Daycare Center and had been employed at the center since July 2010. Littleton Police initiated their investigation after a child told a parent of an incident that allegedly occurred on March 21, 2011 at the center. The parent subsequently notified police. According to a Littleton Police release, investigators discovered there were several victims. KinderCare provides care for children between the ages of 2-months and 13-years-old. Kerr was immediately fired when the investigation was initiated and all families were notified his termination and the ongoing investigation. Before working for KinderCare, Kerr was employed as an elementary substitute teacher in both Jefferson County and Denver Public Schools. He also worked as a summer church camp counselor in Missouri in 2005. Kerr is currently held on a $50,000 bond for sexual assault on a child and sexual assault by someone in a position of trust, both felony charges. For more read