Michigan Personal Injury Blog - Children

Keeping Children Safe

Timothy Smith — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:03:58 GMT

I wanted to take a quick moment to bring to my reader's attention a book that is a must read if you are a parent or you are friends with someone who is a parent. "365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe", is a book authored by Attorney Don Keenan who is one of the leading advocates for child safety in the country and an excellent trial attorney as well.

The book can be ordered here: http://www.balloonpress.com/365wayssample.html

An excellent review of the book can be found here.

As a fellow attorney dedicated to raising the public's awareness of safety issues through this particular website, Attorney Keenan is an excellent example of how to educate our friends an families to lead a safer day-to-day existence.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Timothy Smith

Public Interest Group Discovers Toys with Lead, Dangerous Chemicals Still on Store Shelves

David Mittleman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:45:19 GMT

As the holiday season approaches many parents will travel to the stores, eager to swoop up the latest toys for their children. Luckily, a new law that bans six dangerous chemicals from children’s toys, as well as lowering the lead limit, will help to keep children safer this year. However, what many parents don’t realize is that a number of toys at major retailers still contain dangerous chemicals and high levels of lead.

According to a recently released report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG), many manufacturers are complying with the new regulations—but some still aren’t, and it is difficult for consumers to know the difference between safe and unsafe toys. U.S. PIRG sent 15 toys to independent laboratories for testing and found that four of the toys had excessive amounts of lead. Furthermore, two of the toys contained another dangerous chemical known as phthalates, which is widely found in plastic toys and has been linked to reproductive and other health problems. Congress overwhelmingly voted in 2008 to ban phthalates and to significantly reduce the amount of lead in children’s toys in response to the dangerously high levels of lead in toys imported from China during the last several years.

Despite the news that some toy manufacturers are still failing to comply with the new law, the U.S. PIRG stated that they “have seen substantial progress over the last year because of the new law and new leadership at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.” To help protect consumers and help them make wise choices in regards to the toys they purchase for their children, the U.S. PIRG has launched a tool with toy safety tips that parents can access via their cell phones.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Theft and Joyriding Lead to Pursuit and Death in Oak Park, MI

Devon Glass — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:30:27 GMT

15-year-old Desean Murrell Fant died after crashing a stolen car into a tree in the early morning hours of November 10, 2009 in Oak Park, MI. Desean and another 15-year-old child had allegedly stolen a 1999 Saturn that belonged to a 24-year-old Oak Park resident.

After locating the vehicle, Oak Park police ensued on a car chase. The boys were not wearing seat belts when they lost control of the vehicle. The police had been pursuing the boys for several blocks and Michigan State Police are reconstructing the crash to learn more about the boys' speed at the time of collision.

Local residents noted that the speeding car was zooming. It is unfortunate and tragic that the need to go on a joyride or steal property would lead to taking such dangerous risks. The risks were not only to their own lives, but to the lives of any other pedestrian or driver.

It is also unfortunate that death is the price that was paid by these kids for stealing a car. If these kids had been caught and arrested, I don't think anyone would find death a reasonable punishment for the crime they committed, but that's the sentence they received when the situation escalated. Did the police really need to engage in a high speed pursuit to catch these kids for stealing a car?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Devon Glass

Hospitalized Uninsured Children More Likely to Die When Compared to Insured Children

David Mittleman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:35:07 GMT

Researchers at John Hopkins University recently made a horrific discovery: uninsured children who are hospitalized are more likely to die than children with government or private health insurance. In fact, the researchers estimated that approximately 37.8%, or 17,000 child deaths could have been avoided if the more children had health insurance coverage.

The researchers analyzed data from 23 million children’s hospitalizations in 37 states from 1988 to 2005. According to the data, when the researchers compared uninsured children with insured children, the uninsured faced a 60% increased risk of dying.

While the study was not meant to identify why uninsured children were more likely to die, the researchers did find a potential culprit for the increase in deaths amongst uninsured children. Specifically, uninsured children were more likely to access health care through the emergency room, which suggests that many uninsured children were in advanced stages of illness prior to seeking medical attention. Furthermore, uninsured children were hospitalized for less time than insured children: on the average, uninsured children were hospitalized for less than a day when they died, as compared to insured children who spent a full day in the hospital prior to death. Currently, an estimated 7 million children are uninsured in the United States.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Halloween Safety Tips to Ensure Halloween is Filled with Treats, Not Tricks

David Mittleman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:29:59 GMT

As young trick-or-treaters hit the streets on Saturday to collect their candy, you can be sure that the last thing on their minds will be safety. Instead, it is important for parents to take an active role in ensuring safety.

Some of the most basic safety issues involve costumes and candy. However, there are some simple safety tips that parents can follow. For example, according to the Lansing State Journal parents should follow these quick treat-or-treat tips to ensure food safety:

Tell children not to accept anything that isn't commercially wrapped.

When children bring their treats home, discard any home-made candy or baked goods. Parents of young children should also remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.

Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

Parents should wash all fresh fruit thoroughly and inspect it for holes, including small punctures. Fruit should be cut open before allowing kids to eat it.

Some Halloween treats may trigger allergic reactions. Read the complete label and ingredient list of products before interpreting it is safe for all to eat.

To help prevent children from snacking while they're out trick-or-treating, and before parents have inspected the treats, give them a snack or light meal before they go.

If juice or cider is served to children at Halloween parties, make sure it is pasteurized or otherwise treated to destroy harmful bacteria. Juice or cider that has not been treated will say so on the label.

As always, proper hand washing is essential to food safety.

Remind kids to wash their hands before eating.

Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!

Similarly, ill-fitted costumes can cause safety issues such as slip-and-fall accidents. Furthermore, it is important to make sure your child has a flame-resistant costume, especially since most homes will have jack-o-lanterns with lit candles inside. Furthermore, it is important to make sure the eyeholes in your child's Halloween mask are big enough to clearly see through. I also recently wrote about the dangers of lead in face paint--masks may still be a better option than risking your child's health with contaminated paints.

Unfortunately costumes aren’t the only factor that can endanger your child’s life. For example, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 94% of children participate in Halloween activities. Sadly, there are individuals that could harm your child— child predators and reckless drivers, alike. Nevertheless, the Center offers the following tips to keep your child safe on Halloween:

CHOOSE bright, flame-retardant costumes or add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags so children are easily seen in the dark. In addition, carry a glow stick or flashlight.

PLAN a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets. Avoid unfamiliar neighborhoods, streets that are isolated, or homes that are poorly lit inside or outside.

NEVER send young children out alone. They should always be accompanied by a parent or another trusted adult. Older children should always travel in groups.

ALWAYS walk younger children to the door to receive treats and don’t let children enter a home unless you are with them.

BE SURE children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless you are with them.

DISCUSS basic pedestrian safety rules that children should use when walking to and from houses.

CONSIDER organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.”

MAKE sure children know their home phone number and address in case you get separated. Teach children how to call 911 in an emergency.

TEACH children to say “NO!” or “this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get them to go somewhere, accept anything other than a treat, or leave with them. And teach them that they should make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming and resisting.

REMIND children to remain alert and report suspicious incidents to parents and/or law enforcement.

Please keep these safety tips in mind so that your children have a fun and SAFE Halloween!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Wisconsin Sex Abuse Victims Plead With Legislators to Pass Bill Extending Statute of Limitations

David Mittleman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:47:37 GMT

Madison, Wisconsin—a group of childhood sex abuse victims are urging a Wisconsin legislative committee to support Assembly Bill 453, which would repeal the state’s statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse cases that involve clergy or incest. Under current law, victims can sue up until the age of 35.

Spurred by the Child Victims Act that is already in place in California and Delaware, the Wisconsin victims hope for similar results in identifying unknown sex offenders, particularly those working for churches. In fact, since the legislation passed in California 300 previously unknown sex offenders have been identified.

Victims and child safety advocates vouch for the bill, arguing that the current statute of limitations in Wisconsin is arbitrary and ultimately silences victims. However, church leaders as well as tort reformers argue that the bill would place undue burden on religious institutions that are already struggling financially. Nevertheless, child safety advocates cite that only a small number of abuse cases actually involve church clergy, so church financial concerns should not stop the bill from passing. Indeed, as Laurie Asplund, a sexual abuse victim that was molested at age 15, stated: “[t]he goal of survivors has nothing to do with money…it’s about getting a piece of your soul back.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Detroit Bus Crash Injures Six Students

Devon Glass — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:15:01 GMT

An accident involving two Detroit school buses resulted in injuries to six students on Monday. The collision occurred in metro Detroit, at the intersection of Plymouth Road and West Outer Drive.

The first bus was stopped at a red light when a second bus approached from behind. According to reports, the driver of the second bus looked away from the road in order to ask students not to stand while the bus was in motion. When the driver looked back at the street ahead, the crash occurred.

Fortunately, none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Devon Glass

FDA and Roche Warn Parents About Dosage Confusion with Children's Swine Flu Medication

David Mittleman — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Taminflu Oral Suspension is but one prescription drug to help treat the swine flu. However, the Food and Drug Administration and Roche, the maker of the drug, are warning parents to be careful when administering the medication to their children.

According to a statement issued on Friday, the syringe that comes with the medication is marked at 30, 45, and 60 milligrams. However, the instructions that were included in the packaging of the product, inform parents to give their child three-fourths of a teaspoon twice a day. The confusion over the correct amount of the medication can lead to over- or under-dosing, both of which could be potentially dangerous.

The problem is that milligrams measure weight, while teaspoons measure volume. Simply stated, the instructions and the syringe give dosage instructions in two entirely different measurement systems. This makes it very difficult for a layperson to know what the correct dosage is, without having to do some very complicated math to get it right.

Roche has apparently sent a warning letter to doctors and pharmacists instructing them to prescribe the oral version of the drug in milligrams. If prescriptions come in teaspoon or in milliliters, both doctors and pharmacists are supposed to provide a properly corresponding measuring device in place of the original syringe. If your child is already sick with swine flu, the last thing you want to do is prolong the illness by not giving them enough medication, or similarly, make it worse by giving them too much.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Leukemia Cells in Obese Children "Hide" From Chemo Drugs in Fat Cells

David Mittleman — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:24:26 GMT

Science is not always kind in the answers it reveals, but knowing these unfortunate answers can be helpful to the most vulnerable. For example, a recent study conducted by Steven D. Mittleman (no familial relation as far as I know), the research director with the Division of Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, recently discovered that obese children with leukemia relapse more often because fat may impair the immune system’s ability to stop cancer. Furthermore, obesity may also predispose cells to become cancerous.

Mittleman and his research team injected mice with typical chemotherapy drugs. The mice also had cultured fat injected, as well as leukemia cells. The results were both shocking and revealing: each chemotherapy drug was less effective when it came into contact with the fat cultures in the mice. In fact, when compared to lean mice, the obese mice had higher relapse rates of leukemia. The doctors actually discovered that the leukemia cells “hid” in the fat tissue during chemotherapy—creating a “safe haven” for the cancer.

The study’s results help to explain why obese children with leukemia have a 50% higher relapse rate than their thinner counterparts. Leukemia is the most common form of cancer in children, with 2,000 affected each year. The results of this study also emphasize the importance of ingraining good exercise habits in your children, starting from an early age. It could keep them healthy in more ways than one.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Tylenol Manufacturer Recalls Children's Liquid Products Potentially Contaminated with Bacteria

David Mittleman — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:39:10 GMT

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the manufacturer of Tylenol, is voluntarily recalling more than 20 types of child and infant liquid products. According to their statement, McNeil stated that it had discovered bacteria in an inactive ingredient in the products manufactured between April and June 2008.

After consulting with the Food and Drug Administration, McNeil initiated the recall on “selected lots” of the products. So far, the recall is complete at the warehouse and retail level. McNeil maintains that products that are already on store shelves have “met all specifications” for safety and that no bacteria has been found on the finished products.

The specific type of bacteria is called Burkholderia cepacia, and can cause adverse effects, particularly in already susceptible patients with compromised immune systems. Please visit the Tylenol website for a full listing of recalled products. McNeil urges parents and caregivers to contact their child’s healthcare provider, should they have concerns.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman