By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Cruelty to animals is no laughing matter. Recently, students at Colony Middle School were disciplined after their actions led to the death of a moose. The students thought it was a good idea to taunt and tease the animal. The moose was so upset that the moose repeatedly threw itself against a wall until it died. Some may read this article and dismiss it as a childhood prank. The incident really does have a bigger meaning. It shows how far students will go to tease animals or other children for that matter. Children should show empathy for their peers, teachers, and animals. Many animals are defenseless and should be treated with respect and dignity. It is a shame that bullying and teasing led to the death of the Moose. Officials acted properly in disciplining the children.
Savannah Georgia is a wonderful tourist destination. Unfortunately, at times, Savannah is also the site of automobile accidents involving pedestrians, personal injuries and wrongful death. Recently, a business development manager from Sweden was killed and a woman from Sweden was injured when a pick up truck hit them during a night walking tour in downtown historic Savannah. Nils Eric Svensson, age 61, of Skanor, Sweden and Anne Christine Bjarkby were visiting Savannah, Georgia as part of a Swedish delegation. Ms. Bjarkby suffered a fractured hip.
Michigan authorities are conducting an investigation regarding the death of a 9 year old quadraplegic girl. Tragically, her body was found inside a public storage facility.
The Dekalb County (Decatur) School Board – Georgia will review an anti-bullying policy following the suicide death of an 11 year old boy. Jareem Harrera hung himself on April 16. He told his parents that he was upset after being teased for “talking funny” and “being gay”. Tragically, Jareem was found by another family member after Jareem hung himself. The policy that was in place at the school required teachers to report instances of bullying and that three instances / incidents would be sufficient to get the violating student expelled.
Colorado lawmakers are considering changes to the State law regarding seat belts. In particular, Colorado law may be changed to include the failure to wear a seat belt as a primary offense. In other words, a driver could be pulled over by a police officer and issued a citation for failing to wear a seat belt. Current Colorado laws require that a driver commit another traffic offense before being cited for the failure to wear a seat belt.
Sadly, it is difficult to know who is trustworthy and who is not when it comes to bad acts. In California, a former police officer and radio show host was arrested on charges of child pornography and production of child pornography. The facts of this story unraveled like a television movie. Aaron Aldridge, age 42, was a radio personality on WNTK in New London, New Hampshire. A family member became concerned over his disappearance along with the disappearance of his 19 year old daughter. Police were contacted and searched his belongings including a computer. Investigators found pornographic images on the computer. Some of the images / videos appeared to be from Aldridge’s home.
A Christian County (Hopkinsville) Kentucky middle school student was arrested for bringing a gun to school. The boy, age 13, brought the gun to school and showed it to other students. It was a .45 caliber handgun with ammunition. While the weapon was not fired and it does not appear that the student intended on using the gun, the presence of the gun in the middle school did create a danger to the students and teachers. The gun could have accidentally been fired. Another student could have grabbed the gun and discharged it. The gun could have been used to threaten others. The combination of the gun with teenagers in a school system was a dangerous. Fortunately, nobody was injured or threatened with the gun.
In yet another case of unfortunate and preventable deaths, a two month old baby has died due to being smothered while sleeping with an adult. For the third time in two months, an infant has died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a result of what is known as co-sleeping or bed-sharing. The Milwaukee Health Department has documented that between 2004 and 2007, 72 of 120 Milwaukee infants who have died have done so when sharing a bed with parents, other children or caregivers. Due to the growing concern of this phenomenon and the recent deaths, the City of Milwaukee Health Department has launched a safe sleep awareness campaign by posting a demonstration on YouTube, preparing videos. issuing guidelines for safe sleep and preparing pamphlets for distribution.
Bullying is a problem that is present in day care centers, elementary and middle schools, and high schools and beyond. To better deal with bullying issues, it is often helpful to study and better understand the psychology and interactions involved with bullying. A University of Florida study indicated that girls were more likely to defend bullying victims than boys. Of course, this does not mean that girls do not bully. Some of the most brutal bullying incidents both psychological and physical have been committed by girls. As noted by University of Florida researchers, there has been a lack of recognition and study of kids who try to defend victims of bullying or stop the bullying incidents from taking place or continuing. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Centers estimate that over 5.7 million children are involved in bullying incidents as either the bully or the victim.