Articles Tagged with child injury compensation

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Swimming-and-Drowing-Risks-300x244During the summer months, swimming is a wonderful activity for children.  It can also be a dangerous one. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is listed as the top cause of death for children ages one to four years old.  For older children ranging in age from five to nineteen years old, drowning is listed as the third leading cause of death.

There are several precautions a parent can take to protect their children from drowning. Children near open bodies of water, like lakes or beaches, should wear life vests. However, of the almost one thousand child drownings each year, the majority of these occur in home backyard pools. First, there should always be a supervising adult near swimming children. Many parents and homeowners decide it is best to construct a fence around their pool in order to physically separate young children from the water, and studies show that “four-sided fencing with a locking gate… prevents more than half of swimming pool deaths in children.” The CDC recommends a fence at least four feet high. In the event of a child falling into a pool or other body of water, parents should take care to learn CPR.

One preventative measure which has garnered a bit of attention in the last few years is youth swimming lessons—starting as young as a year old. The reason for this early start is twofold—first, infants can drown in bodies of water much smaller than a swimming pool, like a bathtub or even a bucket of water, and, second, the lessons prepare young children in case they accidentally fall into a swimming pool. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says almost seventy percent of drowning victims under the age of five were not expected to be in the water. For this reason, youth swimming lessons are focused on familiarization with water, being able to breach the surface and tread water or looking for floatation devices. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons for children between the years of one and four, and the USA Swimming Foundation reports that lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by almost ninety percent. Parents should make sure that, when enrolling their children in a swimming course, the teachers are properly trained and that there are lifeguards on duty.

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By  David Wolf, Attorney

Published by Child Injury LawyeBlog

Building Blocks Glossy - P - Day Care CenterUnfortunately, spankings and corporal punishment are still prevalent in many communities.  It is a tradition that has been literally handed down from generation to generation.  While there may be some time and family history to spankings and corporal punishment, the fact is that most States ban such activities and disciplinary measures in most day care centers and child care facilities.  Some church based or religious based institutions may have an exception from such State regulation.  Even in circumstances where spankings and corporal punishment are permitted, there are still child abuse laws in place that make it actionable or criminal if the spanking or corporal punishment is excessive and causes physical marks and / or the need for medical evaluation and treatment.  Clearly, the best way to make sure that a child is not subjected to excessive corporal punishment is just to refrain from it completely.   Corporal punishment and spankings put a child at risks especially by an adult who does not fully realize the size differential and the force that is applied when engaged in corporal punishment or spankings. Furthermore, it should be noted that many day care providers are angry when giving out punishments which can lead a day care provider to be out of control and really cause significant permanent injuries to the child.

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