By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The school year brings with it a need for parents, children, and drivers to exercise good caution and driving for the safety and well being of school aged children. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and other child safety advocates urge parents and drivers to keep kids safe when they walk to school or are at bus stops. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 25,000 children are injured every year as pedestrians. The injuries range from minor personal injuries to traumatic brain injuries to death. Here are some safety tips for children, parents, day care center providers, schools, and others:
In Massachusetts and other States, children are at risk for personal injuries due to dangerous intersections, crosswalks, and bus stop areas. The State of Massachusetts identified dangerous intersections and spots where serious personal injuries have been reported. Statistics, while useful, will do nothing to protect the next child from being a victim of an accident at or near an intersection, crosswalk, bus stop, or school. Here are some tips that parents and other child care providers can follow or keep in mind:
In Georgia and other States, children are the unfortunate victims every year of being left alone in a day care center bus or van. In hot weather States including Georgia and Florida, this can be especially dangerous due to the risks of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hyperthermia. Even leaving a small child in a vehicle for a few minutes can lead to serious personal injuries, and, yes, even death. It was reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution that there were more than 50 incidents of children enrolled in Georgia day care centers who were left in vehicles during a 5 year period. Temperatures climb very rapidly in a vehicle once the vehicle / air conditioning is turned off. It is known that the temperature inside a enclosed vehicle is even hotter than the temperature outside of the vehicle.
In Massachusetts, a toddler enrolled in a day care center was found dead after being left alone in a day care center van for hours. It was quite a tragic scene and situation when the 13 month old toddler was found in the van parked in Dorchester, Massachusetts. After this most unfortunate and tragic incident, investigators and State regulators shut the day care center down. The van was marked with a sign – Gloria’s Luna Family Day Care Center. See 
In Idaho and other States, there are day care laws and regulations that day care centers must follow. Each State has its own regulations. Some States put in strict regulations while other States put in minimal regulations. Some child safety advocates and experts believe that Idaho’s day care regulations are minimal in nature and need to be changed. In particular, Idaho day care centers will 6 or free children enrolled in the day care program are not required to obtain a license. For larger day care centers in Idaho, licenses are required to be renewed every 2 years. According to a day care center study State by State, Idaho ranked 52nd in the nation (included Puerto Rico and Guam standards as well). See
In Pennsylvania and other States, there are day care center workers who unfortunately use the day care center as a location to abuse and neglect children under their care. IN Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Matthew Keith Byars (age 26) has been accused and charged with crimes in multiple instances of abuse and neglect of children. It was reported that Byars previously worked at Tender Care Learning Center in Pennsylvania.
Child injured on Maryland State Fair swing ride. A 9 year old boy was injured at the state fair in Timonium, Maryland when he decided to exit the ride while it was still in motion. According to officials this Incident was the most serious injury at the fair this year. The injured child was taken to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The severity of the child’s injuries is unknown.