Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Joshua Shulman, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Portland, Oregon and many other school districts throughout the United States, there is a good reason to have a fire drill / evacuation plan. Plan and simple, it saves lives. Fire swept through the Marysville Elementary School just prior to Noon on a Fall 2009 day. Fortunately, school staff members and firefighters successfully evacuated every single student from the school. While the historic school sustained heavy fire damage, no lives were lost in this fire. The Marysville Elementary School fire shows how an effective evacuation plan can protect children and teachers as well. You can read about this story at >Students / Teachers Escape Fire at Marysville (Portland) Elementary School.
Areas near schools and school bus areas can become quite congested during morning and afternoon hours. When there is a high concentration of children, there are dangers in high traffic areas. In Portland, Maine, parents of high school students are quite concerned about the safety of their children. Parents as well as high school principal (Michael Johnson) are urging city officials to mark off areas as a school zone so that drivers are mandated by law to slow down in the area near the high school. City officials, according to a story posted at 
In Cupertino, California, a 5 year old child was run over by a teacher. Tragically, the 5 year old died. It was later determined that the day care center, Elite Chinese School, did not have a day care license. Elite has a business license but did not have the separate California day care license. As such, the State of California never inspected the facility or its grounds for safety or compliance with the applicable day care center guidelines and regulations. The accident at issue is also under investigation.
A woman, Ebere Ozonwu, was rushing to make her train in Chicago this week when she unintentionally put her own child in danger. According to witnesses, the woman had started pushing her child, who was in a stroller, into the train car when the doors closed on it and the train started moving. The woman and other horrified onlookers watched as the stroller slammed against the wall of the tunnel it was entering and the child was thrown out onto the tracks. The little girl was hospitalized but has been released.
Nancy Owens and Vanessa Ramirez were at a birthday party together, where both have admitted to drinking. Ms. Owens reportedly allowed Ms. Lopez to drive her three children home, even though she admitted to police that she was aware Ms. Lopez was “drunk.”
Daycare owner, Shannon Veradt, of Taunton, Massachusetts, was allegedly found passed out on the second floor of her home while the children she was supposed to be caring for were unattended downstairs. Her own mother had called the police because she believed her daughter was drunk and she was worried about the children. Ms. Veradt admitted that she had been drinking, saying she was stressed from her marriage. This day care owner showed “poor judgment” but is being allowed to reopen the daycare center.
Chesnee, South Carolina daycare operator, Gena Lynn Grigg, was arrested by officers of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office after police said she abused a child in her care. She has been charged with unlawful neglect of a helpless person.