Children’s Injuries

Parents often buy walkers as a means of encouraging their children to walk. Unfortunately, medical experts say that these walkers do not really help children learn to walk and often put kids at risk for serious injuries. According to BabyZone.com, the muscles used to move around in a walker are not the same muscles used in walking. This means the walkers don’t have much benefit and the risk of injury makes using them risky.

Types of Injuries

Walkers with wheels put young children at risk of several types of child injuries. When a walker gets caught on a stray toy or other object, it can overturn and cause the child to fall to the floor. If the parent is lucky, the walker will turn over on a carpeted surface and prevent serious injuries. Unfortunately, these accidents can occur on tile, wood, linoleum, and other types of hard surfaces. This increases the risk of head injury and may cause fractures of the legs, arms, and skull.

If a child uses a walker near stairs that have no barrier, the walker could tumble down the stairs and cause serious injuries. In a few cases, children have gotten hurt because their fingers or toes have been caught between two pieces of their walkers. A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics even links the use of walkers to an increased number of poisoning accidents in children, as use of a walker gives a child greater access to the home environment.

Defective Walkers

If a walker is manufactured incorrectly, the risk of injury is even greater. Defective walkers can tip over easily or make it more likely that a child will suffer serious injuries. If your child suffered an injury as the result of using a defective walker, you have the right to seek compensation to cover medical expenses and other costs. The Phoenix defective products attorneys of The Breyer Law Offices P.C. can help. Call us at (602) 457-6222 to discuss your case confidentially.

Unintentional suffocation is one of the leading causes of accidental death for infants and young children. Because babies can’t raise their heads easily, they are especially at risk for suffocation, but young children need to be protected from this type of accident as well.

Follow these tips to reduce the risk of suffocation accidents in your home:

• Avoiding putting infants face-down on soft surfaces. These surfaces include mattress covers, waterbeds, comforters and other soft bedding, and sheepskin rugs.
• Consider keeping the crib bumpers out of your infant’s crib, as they are made of soft materials that could cause suffocation.
• Avoid putting infants in beds and cribs that have soft bedding.
• Do not put pillows or plush toys in a crib or bed with a child.
• Make sure you purchase a crib mattress that fits your crib perfectly. If it is too small, it could catch an infant between the sides of the crib and the mattress.
• Purchase crib sheets that fit snugly over the mattress. Loose sheets can get wrapped around a baby’s head if they come off.
• Do not allow an infant to sleep in an adult-sized bed.
• Avoid letting siblings share a bed with an infant. One of the siblings could roll over and suffocate the infant accidentally.
• Keep all plastic bags and packaging out of reach of babies and young children.
• If you use balloons for a party, keep them out of reach of children and dispose of them immediately after the party ends.

Many parents have to rely on daycare services or the help of relatives to balance their careers with parenthood. If caregivers do not follow these tips or supervise children properly, it could lead to a tragic suffocation. If your child was the victim of a suffocation accident, the Phoenix child injury attorneys of The Breyer Law Offices P.C. can help. Call us at (602) 457-6222 for a free consultation.

A fatal child injury occurred when a 3-year-old boy died last Monday at around 5:30 in the afternoon in the town of Maricopa. It shows that the victim’s mother was driving a Ford Explorer with her three children in the backseat. Investigation shows that none of the children were wearing a seatbelt. It was stated that the 3-year-old boy was hanging out the rear passenger window of the SUV and fell out. The young boy was pronounced dead on the scene. The fatal Maricopa car accident is still under investigation with five law enforcement agencies. The Maricopa police remind drivers to always keep the children safe while in the car to avoid serious child injury.

Arizona Fatal Car Accident Statistics

According to the data shown by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association, fatal car crashes decreased in 2009 compared to latter years. The year 2009 had a total of 30, 797 fatal car collision accidents. This has been a remarkable decline of fatal car accidents over the years. People involved in fatal accidents includes 17,640 drivers and 6,770 passengers, unknown 64.

Arizona Car Seat Law

In Arizona, there is law that requires children in vehicles to be in a car seat. Children should be in car seats especially when vehicles are moving. Children should be restrained properly. It is important to be knowledgeable of the safety precautions and laws that one must take in order to prevent a fatal child injury in the car. Always put children in a car booster or car seat if applicable and always have the seatbelts fastened. Airbags are dangerous to children so it is safer to keep the children in the backseat. In a case like this we urge people not to prejudge the mother or parents of this child. Families all love their children and accidents do happen. Our prayers go out to the deceased child’s family and friends.

Get in Touch with an Arizona Child Injury Lawyer

If your child has been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another, the experienced Phoenix child injury attorneys at Breyer Law Offices, P.C., can help you understand your legal rights and options. Contact us today for a free consultation at 602-457-6222.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shaken baby syndrome is the leading cause of child abuse deaths in the United States. The CDC also reported that babies under the age of 4 months are at the greatest risk of shaken baby syndrome.

A father in Phoenix was recently arrested in the death of his 4 month old daughter. Police arrested the man on one count of second degree murder and two counts of child abuse. The baby’s mother brought her to Phoenix Children’s Hospital after realizing something was wrong.

The father claimed that his daughter was sleeping on his chest, when she fell off of him and onto the floor. After seeing that she had been hurt he shook her “pretty hard” twice. The little girl died in Phoenix Children’s Hospital on July 22.

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reports that children are often shaken out of frustration or anger. This often happens when the baby continues to cry, has toilet training problems, or has trouble eating. Shaken baby syndrome is very dangerous and often fatal because a baby’s brain has not fully developed. When shaken baby syndrome occurs the baby’s brain moves back and forth inside the skull causes tears in the brain lining and often breaks blood vessels. As a result blood often gets into the brain which can be fatal.

If you have a lost a child to shaken baby syndrome due to the negligence of someone else such as a caregiver, please call the child injury attorneys in Arizona at (602) 267-1280, for a free consultation.

A child’s head is surrounded by blood vessels and, after any sort of impact, swelling and veins leaking fluid or blood into the scalp could occur. External head injuries with even a small cut may bleed a lot. You should never apply pressure to a head injury incase the skull is fractured. If your child experiences any of the following symptoms they should be taken to an Emergency Room immediately:

• Will not stop crying
• Complaining of head and neck pain
• Vomiting
• Unable to wake up easily
• Difficult to comfort and console
• Is not walking normally
• Uncontrolled bleeding from the site of impact

Often times a child with an internal head injury is suffering from a concussion. A concussion causes temporary loss of normal brain function as the result of an injury. Children commonly suffer concussions from bicycle accidents. It is important for your child to wear a well fitted helmet before getting onto their bicycle. Symptoms of a concussion include:

• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Memory loss
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Slurred speech
• Unable to concentrate or perform easy tasks
• Unexplained anxiety or anger

Children’s head injuries can be very frightening for both children and parents. If your child has been involved in a bicycle or other type of personal injury accident our child injury attorneys in Phoenix are available for a free consultation (602) 457-6222.

The Husband and Wife Law Team published an infographic about school and daycare safety. The infographic shows the dangers of unqualified daycare providers and the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools. As the proud parents of 8 children, the Breyer’s believe strongly in a safe positive learning environment for all students.

After researching the qualifications of many daycare facilities, the Breyer’s found some alarming statistics. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, only 10 states require care givers who work from home to have a childcare license. According to the U.S. Bureau of labor statistics, 44 percent of workers in the child care industry have only a high school degree.

The infographic also shows that 900,000 children are abused or neglected in daycare centers each year and 70 percent of these children are under the age of 3, according to Fox News. Each year, 4.5 million children suffer misconduct by school employees, from inappropriate comments to sexual abuse. The most common type of child abuse is neglect, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, physiological abuse, and medical neglect.

If your children have been the victim of any form of abuse while in daycare or school, the Husband and Wife Law Team are available for a free consultation at (602) 457-6222. As Arizona child injury attorneys, we believe in fighting for rightful compensation.

The Arizona personal injury lawyers in Phoenix at Breyer Law firm frequently receive phone calls from alarmed parents each week about their children being bullied in school. Bullying is a major violence problem in many schools across the United States and school staffs are painfully aware of this situation. Bullying can take the form of threatening, taunting, rejecting or socially isolating someone, teasing, hitting, stealing, and so forth. A bully, who often appears to lack empathy for their victims, often engages into such acts. Statistics say that more boys than girls are bullies, but girls often use indirect ways of bullying such as spreading rumours or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone.

There are significant effects of bullying on children and teenage students, which could lead that child to suffering from anxiety, withdrawal, fear, low self-esteem, and poor concentration. These students often have low grades and tend to avoid school for fear of being bullied. Suicide has been reported as a result of bullying.

In current statistics, 1 out of 4 students will be abused by another youth, while 1 out of 5 admits to being a bully or doing some “bullying”. Most of the bullying happens in the playground, as opposed to places on the way to school. 77% of students bullied physically, mentally and verbally, 43% fear harassment when going to the bathroom at school.

You can do your part by sharing the info graphic with others by embedding the graphic on your website, blogging or talking about it, sharing the link to this page on your website or social networking site. You can even email this link to your family, friends and colleagues http://bit.ly/studentbullyingfacts.

Every 7 minutes, a child is bullied. If your child or someone you love is being bullied at school, call us for a free consultation at (480) 389-2463. We may be able to help you.

No amount of precaution and warnings can prevent all child pedestrian accidents. Parents can, however, decrease the likelihood of their children getting into pedestrian accidents in Arizona by teaching then safe habits and educating them about the rules of the road. Many studies show that children between the ages of 5 to 9 are the most likely to be involved in a pedestrian accident. This is likely due to the tendency of children to dart into the street. Chasing a ball or following a friend into the roadway without looking is a dangerous act that often results in tragedy.

The best way to prevent these types of accidents is to provide adequate supervision at all times. Children should be taught to obey traffic signals at all times. They should also be taught to look for signs that a vehicle is about to move such as exhaust fumes or the sound of the engine. Children should avoid roadways where there are no sidewalks but if they must walk on the shoulder, it should be done facing traffic. Last, but not least, it is crucial that all children are taught at an early age to never run into a roadway and always use a crosswalk while crossing a roadway.

It is an unfortunate fact that no amount of precautionary steps will guarantee that an Arizona accident will never happen. Even the safest children can be hurt in pedestrian accidents when negligent drivers are involved. In such cases, the at-fault motorist may be held responsible if the victim’s family chooses to file a personal injury claim.

The experienced Scottsdale pedestrian accident attorneys of the Breyer Law Offices P.C. help families get the compensation they need for losses and damages such as medical expenses and cost of rehabilitation. If your child has been injured in an Arizona auto accident, please contact us at 602-457-6222 to find out how we can help.

As parents and Arizona personal injury lawyers, we are saddened by the prevalence of bullying at our schools. Our hearts reach out to the children and parents affected by the pain of a bully.

Bullying is a major violence problem in many schools across the United States and school staffs are painfully aware of this situation. The definition of bullying is repeated intimidation, oppression, abuse, or harassment physically or psychologically of another person who cannot defend herself or himself properly. Bullying can take the form of threatening, taunting, rejecting or socially isolating someone, teasing, hitting, stealing, and so forth. Statistics say that more boys than girls are bullies, but girls often use indirect ways of bullying such as spreading rumours or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone.

There are significant effects of bullying on children and teenage students, which could lead that child to suffer from anxiety, withdrawal, fear, low self-esteem, and poor concentration. These students often have low grades and tend to avoid school for fear of being bullied. Suicide has been reported as a result of bullying.

In current statistics, 1 out of 4 students will be abused by another youth, while 1 out of 5 admits to being a bully or doing some “bullying”.

Personal injury attorneys Buckfire and Buckfire out of Michigan have created this graphic on bullying:

[Source: Buckfire and Buckfire.com]

Take a minute today to help make schools safer for our children. Spread the message about bullying by sharing this graphic with your friends and families, embedding the graphic on your website, blogging or talking about it, and sharing the link to this page on your website or social networking site. You can even email this link: http://bit.ly/studentbullyingfacts to your family, friends and collegues.

Every 7 minutes, a child is bullied. If your child or someone you love is being bullied at school, call us for a free consultation at (480) 753-4534. We may be able to help you.

Four people, including two children, were injured in a Mesa car accident involving four vehicles. According to The Arizona Republic, the multiple vehicle crash occurred on Baseline and Dobson Roads in Mesa. Officials said that a Mitsubishi Outlander ran a red light and crashed into the side of a Chevrolet Trailblazer before flipping onto its side. A 25-year-old woman, a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, who were in the Mitsubishi, were injured. The driver of the Trailblazer was also injured in the crash. It is not clear if the driver of the Outlander will be cited for the crash.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) 2009 Crash Facts Report, 22 people were killed and 2,958 were injured in Mesa car accidents. During that same year, there were 306 fatalities and 32,204 injuries reported as a result of Maricopa County car accidents. Street intersections are some of the most common locations for serious injury accidents. Drivers who fail to properly obey traffic signals may be held liable for the damages they cause.

The family of a child who is injured in an Arizona car accident may pursue financial compensation on their child’s behalf with a personal injury claim. Compensation may be available to cover the cost of the child’s hospital expenses, cost of surgery, medication and other damages.

The reputed Mesa child injury lawyers of The Breyer Law Offices P.C. serve the families of Arizona. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Mesa car accident, please contact our law office at 480-753-4534. We will review the specifics of your case and provide you with a free consultation.