Injuries to Minors

Safe Kids Worldwide Says Maryland is Number 12 in State Rankings of Unintentional Child Injuries and Deaths During Summers

May 14, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A new study recently released by Safe Kids Worldwide says that Maryland is number 12 out of all 50 states and D.C. in a new ranking report of children’s unintentional injury deaths during the summer. The report is called The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report.

Maryland’s unintentional injury-related death rate over a five year period was 2.42 children/100,000 kids. The summer season is known as “trauma season” to emergency personnel, since the number of serious injuries and preventable deaths involving children rises drastically during this time.

Vermont, ranked in the report as the number one state, leads the country with 1.63 children for every 100,000 children dying in an unintentional incident during the summertime. New Jersey was # 2 in the rankings. D.C. ranked #3, New York is #4, and Delaware is #5.

According to the report, 17 children a day (2,143 total) died from May –August 2004 because of preventable injuries. 2.4 million children ended up in the emergency room because of unintentional injuries, with many of these injuries resulting in paralysis, brain damage, and other major disabilities.

In another Safe Kids Worldwide study, the five most common causes of children’s injury deaths that can be prevented include:

— Drowning (increases 89 percent in the summer over the annual monthly
average)
— Biking (increases 45 percent)
— Falls (increases 21 percent)
— Motor vehicle passenger injuries (increases 20 percent)

— Pedestrian injuries (increases 16 percent)

If your child has been seriously injured or killed because of another’s negligence, it is important that you speak to a personal injury lawyer right away.

Six-Year-Old Girl In Hit-and-Run Accident Becomes 10th Pedestrian Fatality in D.C. for 2007

April 26, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A $10,000 reward is being offered by the Metropolitan Police Department for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver of a green SUV that struck and killed six-year-old Crysta Marie Spencer as she crossed 6th Street, NE, near Orleans Place on Monday. Witnesses say Spencer was knocked out of her shoes and thrown into the air after being hit. The driver then ran over her.

Stop signs and a temporary speed bump have been installed at the intersection where she died.

On Wednesday, the District Department of Transportation and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association launched the “Pace Car Program.” Drivers joining the program sign a written pledge to drive at the speed limit, which is 25 mph in most of the District.

According to Jim Sebastian, a DDOT coordinator, a victim struck be a motor vehicle has a greater chance of survival that if the vehicle had been moving at 25 mph instead of 40.

Some statistics and facts regarding injuries related to child pedestrians:

* In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died from pedestrian injuries.

* Of these, 460 died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes.

* The majority of child pedestrian deaths and injuries are traffic-related. Although pedestrian injuries are not as common as motor vehicle occupant injuries, a disproportionate number of the injuries sustained by child pedestrians are severe.

* Children ages 14 and under are more likely to suffer pedestrian injuries in areas with high traffic volume, a higher number of parked vehicles on the street, higher posted speed limits, no divided highways, few pedestrian-control devices and few alternative play areas.

* Child pedestrian injuries occur more often in residential areas and on local roads that are straight, paved, and dry.

Enforcement of traffic laws, including apprehension of hit-and-run drivers, is effective in reducing traffic-related pedestrian death and injury.

AAA Mid-Atlantic Offers Teen Drivers Tips On How To Drive In Winter Conditions

February 14, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The AAA recently released driving suggestions for teen drivers who may not be used to driving in snow conditions. Here are some of the tips:

· Supervise your teen driver while he or she practices driving in snow or ice; let your teenager practice steering and hard breaking in skidding conditions
· Think about letting your teen driver only drive during daylight hours where they can see the weather and road conditions more clearly
· Try to avoid letting your teen driver’s first experience driving in winter weather be during a big snowstorm
· Remind your teen driver that drinking while driving will only make driving in winter conditions even more dangerous

· Ensure that your teenager’s motor vehicle has emergency equipment, such as a flashlight, cell phone, jumper cables, and an ice scraper.

Here are a few teen driver fatality statistics:

· Teen drivers make up 14% of all motor vehicle-related deaths
· 45% of the time that a teen driver was killed in a car accident, he or she was driving with another teenager in the car
· 1/3 of teen driver fatalities are speeding-related

Common causes of accidents when teen drivers are at the wheel:

· Not paying attention to the roads or weather conditions
· Driving too fast
· Not wearing a safety belt
· Tiredness
· Driving with other teenagers

Maryland Bus Driver Using Cell Phone Among The Accidents Cited Where Driving And Dialing Have Led To Injuries

February 7, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Federal officials in the U.S. say that bus drivers who use cell phones while driving may be partially to blame for the 17,000 school children that sustain injuries from school bus accidents each year. In an undercover news report by ABC News and Good Morning America, the reporting team got on school buses to observe a number of bus drivers. Over four days, the news team reported seeing 17 bus drivers dialing their cell phone while driving with school children on the bus. Two bus drivers reportedly stopped using the phone when they saw that a news camera crew was shooting them.

Examples of school bus accidents involving cell phone-using bus drivers:

· A bus driver in Prince Georges County, Maryland lost control of the bus while talking on his cell phone. 30 students were hospitalized.

· An 8-year-old girl lost her right forearm. The bus driver was talking on his cell phone when the accident occurred.

The Governors Highway Safety Association says that all states should make it illegal for bus drivers to use their cell phone when they have passengers riding their bus.

Only the District of Columbia and 11 U.S. states ban cell phone use while driving a bus:

· Arizona
· Arkansas
· California
· Connecticut
· Delaware
· Illinois
· Massachusetts
· New Jersey
· Rhode Island
· Tennessee
· Texas
· DC

The Official Journal Of American Academy of Pediatrics Offers The Following Statistics Regarding School Bus-Related Injuries For Teenagers And Children:

· There were an estimated 51100 school bus–related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 2001 to 2003, for a national estimate of 17000 injuries.
· Ninety-seven percent of children were treated and released from the hospital.
· Children 10 to 14 years of age accounted for the greatest proportion of injuries.
· Motor vehicle crashes accounted for 42.3% of all injuries, followed by injuries that occurred as the child was boarding/alighting/approaching the bus (23.8%). Head injuries accounted for more than half (52.1%) of all injuries among children.
· Strains and sprains accounted for the highest percentage of all injuries, followed by contusions and abrasions (28.3%) and lacerations (14.9%).

· More than three quarters (77.7%) of lacerations were to the head.

More Charges Added In Hit And Run Dragging Death Of Toddler In Baltimore County

January 24, 2007 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The 41-year-old-woman who was arrested for hitting a toddler and his grandmother with her truck and then dragging the toddler in his stroller under her pickup truck for almost a mile as she left the scene has been indicted for auto manslaughter.

Lazara Arellano de Hogue faces two felony counts of failing to stop her vehicle at the scene of a deadly accident, two charges of vehicular manslaughter, negligent and reckless driving, failing to render aid, and failing to avoid collision with a pedestrian. If convicted for vehicular manslaughter or felony hit-and-run, she could face up to 10 years in prison for each conviction.

The toddler, 3-year-old Elijah Cozart, died as a result of the accident, while his grandmother, Marjorie Thomas, was seriously injured and treated at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Thomas is healing slowly and using a walker.

Released since December on $250,000 bail, Arellano de Hogue now is back in police custody. Bail has been set to $2 million.

According to a recent USA Today analysis, the number of people killed in hit and run accidents has grown 20% since 2000.

In 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 974 of the 4881 pedestrians who were killed were victims of hit and run accidents.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nearly 11% of all police-reported vehicle-related accidents involve hit and run, and pedestrians make up 60% of people killed in hit and run accidents.

The AAA Foundation says that their analysis of General Estimates System databases and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System found that 14,914 people died from hit and run accidents between 1994 and 2003.

The Foundation offers the following tips to help keep pedestrians safe around traffic:

-Obey traffic signals
-Look left, then right, then left again before crossing the street even when in a crosswalk
-Watch for turning vehicles when crossing
-Remain alert and aware of cars as they approach and pass you
-Do not assume drivers see you because you see them
-When sidewalks are not present, walk as far away from the roadway as possible
-If walking at night wear retro reflective and light-colored clothing

In Hit-And-Run Dragging Death Of 3-Year-Old Maryland Boy, Woman Could Face 5 Years In Prison

December 8, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Towson, Maryland district court judge has reduced the bail of the woman charged in the hit-and-run dragging death of three-year-old Elijah Cozart in Baltimore County to $250,000. Cozart’s grandmother had been pushing him in a stroller across Goucher Boulevard when a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup truck, driven by Lazara Arellano de Hogue, struck Cozart, and his grandmother, Marjorie Thomas, 55 as they were crossing the street. The pickup truck continued down the road, dragging the boy underneath it for nearly 3/4ths of a mile before he tumbled free. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Thomas is still in the hospital.

Arellano de Hogue, who was arrested on Castle Drive at a home that she shares with her boyfriend, was held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $2 million bail over the weekend. She claims that she didn’t know she had hit the toddler—only the grandmother, whom she claims she had swerved to avoid.

According to police, however, Arellano de Hogue was seen getting out of the vehicle, pulling the stroller out from under the pickup truck, and driving away.

USA Safekids.org says that:

· In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died from pedestrian injuries.

· Of these, 460 died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes.

· In 2003, nearly 38,400 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries.

· In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died from pedestrian injuries.

· Of these, 460 died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes.

· In 2003, nearly 38,400 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries.

· Children ages 14 and under are more likely to suffer pedestrian injuries in areas with high traffic volume, a higher number of parked vehicles on the street, higher posted speed limits, no divided highways, few pedestrian-control devices, and few alternative play areas.

· Child pedestrian injuries occur more often in residential areas and on local roads that are straight, paved, and dry.

· Children ages 4 and under are at the greatest risk from child pedestrian death.

· In 2002, children ages 4 and under accounted for more than 40 percent of pedestrian injury-related deaths.

· Nearly 10 percent of all child pedestrian-related injuries occur in driveways.

· Children ages 4 and under account for 80 percent of these driveway-related pedestrian injuries.

· Toddlers (ages 1 to 2) sustain the highest number of pedestrian injuries.

· More than half of all toddler pedestrian injuries occur when a vehicle is backing up.

· Children from birth to age 2 are also more likely to suffer pedestrian injuries in parking lots and on sidewalks.

· Nearly two-thirds of child pedestrian deaths are among males.

· African-American children have a pedestrian injury death rate almost twice that of white children.

Through Drive 2 Survive Program, Southern Maryland Teenagers Will Get Crash Course In Advanced Safety and Collision Avoidance Training

December 1, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A number of Calvert County organizations have teamed together to bring Southern Maryland young drivers the Drive 2 Survive training program. The Drive 2 Survive course will focus on giving teen drivers the “real world skills” to deal with unexpected situations they might experience on the road.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says:

· Teenagers are just 7% of all drivers.
· Teen drivers are responsible for 20% of all vehicle-related collisions.

· Young drivers are responsible for 14% of all vehicle-related deaths.

According to the program’s founders, Drive 2 Survive goes beyond basic driver’s education and is an advanced safety and collision avoidance training course.

Enrolling in the program costs $200 and is open to any teenager living in the tri-county, southern Maryland area who has a learner’s permit and has taken Maryland’s mandated classroom and in-car training. You can click on the link below to register and find out more information.

The Maryland Rookie Driver Program is a graduated licensing program that allows teen drivers to build their skills before earning their driver’s license.

1) The learner’s permit lets a new driver drive while accompanied by a supervised adult driver.
2) After completing the driver education course, driving with an adult for a minimum of 60 hours, and passing a skills test, a teen driver is given a provisional license. The teen driver must be at least 16 years and 3 months old.

3) In order to earn their full license, the driver must be at least 17 years and 9 months old and have held a provisional license for at least 18 months (conviction free).

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association provides the following teen driving statistics on their website:

· Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
· 16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
· It is estimated that 16-year-olds are 3 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than adult drivers.
· 3,657 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2003, making up 14% of all driver involved in fatal crashes and 18% of all drivers involved in police-reported crashes (NHTSA).
· 25% of teen drivers killed in 2003 had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. A BAC of .08 is the level which all states use to define drunk driving.
· $40.8 billion was the estimated economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-20 year old drivers in 2002 (NHTSA).
· Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes.
· In 2001, two thirds of teens killed in auto accidents were not wearing seat belts.
· Almost half of the crash deaths involving 16-year-old drivers in 2003 occurred when beginner drivers were driving with teen passengers (IIHS).
· Statistics show that 16 and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger (IIHS).

· Graduated drivers license programs appear to be making a difference. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that the overall number of 16-year-old drivers fell from 1,084 in 1993 to 938 in 2003 despite an 18% increase in the 16-year-old population.

Car Accident In Washington County, Maryland, Seriously Injures Two Children

November 17, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Smithsburg, Maryland two children were seriously injured this week in a car accident at the intersection of Smithsburg Leitersburg Road and Rowe Road.

Audrey Marie Partlow, 41, was driving the car that the children, along with another juvenile passenger, were riding in when their vehicle collided with another vehicle, driven by Douglas Allen McCall II, 34.

Partlow, McCall, and the three juveniles, a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year old were treated at Washington County Hospital.

In Maryland And Other U.S. States, New AAA Report Says 3 to 5 P.M. on Mondays Through Fridays Are Among The Most Deadly Driving Hours For Teen Drivers

November 3, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Crash data from a new AAA Mid-Atlantic report says that licensed, underaged drivers, ages 16-17, are just as likely to get into deadly car crashes from Monday through Friday between 3 and 5 p.m. as they are between 9 p.m. 2 a.m on weekend nights.

Data shows that between 2002 and 2005:

· 1,100 underaged, teen drivers were killed in the hours right after school.

In Maryland, Both Sides Rest Their Case In The Baby Caleb Birth Injury And Wrongful Death Suit

November 1, 2006 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In Maryland last week, attorneys for both sides in the wrongful death suit of Baby Caleb rested their cases. Caleb Taylor’s obstetrician, Dr. Jason Evans, is accused of negligence during the baby’s delivery in 2004. The prosecution claims that Dr. Evans waited too long before performing a c-section on Caleb’s mother Casey. A jury will be asked to determine the amount of compensation for the suffering and loss caused by Caleb’s death. He was born with severe complications and died nine days after his birth. The defense claims that Evans could not perform the c-section until the anesthesiologist arrived at the hospital.

The state of Maryland has a wrongful death cap of $885,000.

A birth injury or trauma is an injury that happens to a baby during birth. A delay in delivery of a baby can cause profound injury to a child due to oxygen deprivation. These injuries include damage to the brain, cerebral palsy, erbs palsy, and other physical and neurological injuries.