Florida Child Injury Lawyer Blog

A six year old child suffered 2nd degree burns in a fire that broke out in a Deltona, Florida duplex on Tuesday morning. The Fire Department stated that the fire engulfed the entire duplelx. Seven people were rescued from the burning house, however the six year old boy suffered severe burns to his back, shoulder, head, and ears. The boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, home fires caused about 85% of all fire related deaths in 2010. Education is key to preventing fire related deaths. Have your family practice fire evacuation from your home. Teach your children about basic fire safety. Discuss with your children what to do if they smell smoke. Check your batteries in all smoke detectors and change batteries twice a year. Make sure all family members know how the smoke detector alarm sounds. Make sure your home has a working fire extinguisher. For more information see, 6 Year Old Suffers Personal Injuries in Duplex Fire in Deltona Florida.

In St. Augustine, Florida, a 5th Wheel BP station went up in flames on State Road 16 on Friday, August 19, 2011 forcing residents within a half-mile radius to evacuate their homes for over an hour. The fire also sent at least one man to the hospital with severe third-degree burns. Along with the Florida Highway Patrol, County Fire Rescue, City of St. Augustine and Jacksonville firefighters all were on the scene trying to put out the 100-foot tall flames. Investigators will investigate this industrial fire incident to determine what started the fire, but eye witnesses claim they saw propane and fuel tanks exploding as they drove by the gas station. “We just felt this boom and thought someone had hit us,” said Meranda Walls. “When we looked over one of the propane tanks was on fire.”

The fire, which began around the time rush-hour traffic was beginning, forced local authorities to shut down both lanes on State Road 16 until 6:30 that afternoon. It was at this time that witnesses noticed an employee of the gas station trying to franticly reach safety. “There was a man trying to get away, tripping and stumbling, then he was on the ground on his side,” Walls said. “We were going to stop and help, but he was heavy-set and we knew we couldn’t lift him,” said Catrina Magruder, who was stopped right outside of the gas station. Luckily for the injured employee, a man in a minivan hurried over to the employee and along with a couple of St. John's County deputies, carried him to safety. The employee, whose name has not been released, was lifted to Shands-Gainesville shortly afterwards.

For more on this story, see Explosion at 5th Wheel.

According to officials in Dania Beach, Florida, an eight-year-old girl was taken to the hospital for firework-related injuries. She was watching fireworks in a backyard, and when the fireworks went off she was struck in the back of her head by a piece of concrete. Authorities said that someone had tried to use a cinder block to stabilize the firework. The child was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.

During the month of July, typically around Independence Day, children are more likely to become victims of firework-related injuries. Injuries from fireworks are most likely to affect the hands, eyes, and the head, face, and ear; children 14-years or younger are the most prone to these types of injuries. Firecrackers, sparklers, and rockets accounted for most of the injuries reported in the emergency departments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The best way to protect your family from firework-related injuries is to not set off fireworks at home in the first place. Attend public displays and leave the lighting to experienced professionals. However, if you do choose to set off fireworks at home, here are a few safety tips to keep in mind:

• Children should not play with fireworks, but if you give kids sparklers, make sure they keep them outside and away from the face, clothing and hair.
• Never attempt to make your own fireworks.
• Light one firework at a time and never re light a dud.
• Always light fireworks outside and have a bucket and a hose close by in case of an emergency.
• Soak all fireworks in a bucket before disposing of them in a trash bin.

For more information on this topic, see Girl Injured in Fireworks-Related Accident

Below is a summary of the leading cause of fatal personal injuries in children ranging in age from less than one-year-old to 19-years-old:

- From 2000-2006, the leading cause of death for children were personal injuries due to transportation. Although a substantial amount of deaths involved pedestrian or bicyclist accidents, the highest rates were among occupants of motor vehicles in traffic.

- For children less than one-year-old, 2/3 of death caused by personal injuries were due to suffocation.

- For children aged 1 to 4-years-old, drowning was the leading cause of personal injury-related death.

- For children aged 5 to 19-years-old, the most personal injury-related deaths were due to being an occupant in a motor vehicle crash.
(Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Also, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions, an average of 12,175 children between the ages of birth to 19-years-old are killed annually in the U.S. from unintentional injury. Gary Hamner, a public education officer, said many of the childhood fatalities caused by unintentional injury are preventable, especially if people become more aware of traffic safety. Outside the home, fatal childhood personal injuries can be avoided by keeping children in seat belts or age- and weight-appropriate child safety seats. Inside the home, Hamner stresses that preparing for a fire emergency is critical. Homes should always have smoke detectors, the devices save lives. The batteries in smoke detectors should be checked once a month and replaced twice a year. Also, parents and guardians should have and teach their children an emergency exit plan should a fire occur. Children should know exactly what to do when a smoke detector signals; they need to know the fastest and best way to get out of every room in the home and a safe meeting place once no longer in the home. To read more see Avoid fatal childhood personal injuries, simple tips on prevention.

Disney pairs its character Bambi with Smokey the Bear to encourage elementary school kids to help prevent forest fires. The timing of these public service announcements could not be better; currently, brush fires are popping up all over Central Florida. The PSAs show scenes and characters from the Disney movie, Bambi, with Smokey the Bear's message: "Only you can prevent wildfires." Many people are under the belief that wildfires are started by lightening. However, according to the Advertising Council, 90% of wildfires are caused by people. The most common ways wildfires are started include unattended campfires, burning debris on windy days, arson, carelessly discarding smoking materials or barbecue coals. If you would like to read more on this topic please read Disney pairs its character Bambi with Smokey the Bear to spread awareness on the prevention of wildfires to elementary school children.

A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or wilderness area. Forest fire use to be the term to describe these types of fires, but the term forest fire was replaced with wildfire in 2001. Parents should teach their children not to play with fire or fire-starting objects. Children should be taught the dangers and risks of injury or death regarding fires. The more children are educated and understand the dangerousness of fires the better children can help prevent wildfires.

Child care workers at the Clarcona Academy Child Care Center discovered severe burns on the entire right leg of a two-month old baby while changing the baby's diaper. After the shocking discovery, the baby boy was taken to Winnie Palmer Children's Hospital and admitted overnight. The child's father was contacted by police and told them the child was fine when he dropped the child off. The State of Florida Department of Children and Families was also notified of the incident, it later called in its Child Protection Team. The DCF child protection team is a team of doctors who observe the physical injuries on a child and learn the how the injury occurred, when it took place and point to indications of whether the accident was purposeful or accidental.

An investigation is being conducted on the daycare, parents and anyone else who would have been alone with the child. Although the parents have no prior history with DCF, the daycare does. Presently, the daycare is operating under a provisional license due to the adult-to-children ratio and possible problems with the grounds. It is unknown whether or not the child will remain in the parent's custody during the investigation, but Hoeppner assured the child will be in a safe environment. To read more about this topic see Daycare workers observe burns on leg of 2-month-old boy.

You can get a detailed history of your child's daycare at DCF Daycare History.

With Independence Day / July 4th celebrations and parties, many people gather with friends and family to celebrate the holiday. Fireworks are part of this holiday tradition. Unfortunately, personal injuries often times result from the negligent or careless use or firing off of fireworks. Most fireworks are not only illegal, but dangerous - causing 11 deaths in 2006. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are nearly 10,000 firework-related injuries per year, most of them occurring between June 15-July 15. Hands are the most commonly injured body parts with the eyes in a close second. The remaining injuries involve the face, head, and ears.

Types of Injuries

Burns are the most common firework-related injury. However, contusions (bruises), lacerations, and foreign objects in the eyes also occur at an alarming high frequency. Bottle rockets are the most common cause of eye injuries, sometimes resulting in the physical loss of the eye and/or blindness. Bystanders - someone who is hit by misfiring fireworks - are usually the most common victims of bottle rockets.

If a serious injury has occurred such as amputations, lacerations, burns that result in blistering, or any injury to the face, eyes or neck, medical intervention / medical care is needed immediately and 9-1-1 should be called.

If a limb is lost, such as a finger, make every effort to retrieve the missing body part so that doctors may be able to reattach the lost limb. Lost limbs that are retrieved should be wrapped in a dry, sterile gauze, placed inside a plastic bag, and placed indirectly on ice. The body party should neither come into direct contact with the ice nor be frozen. The bleeding body part should be covered firmly with a sterile dressing gauze and held firmly until professional help takes place or the bleeding stops.

Eye injuries are much more difficult to determine the severity of the injury. If any object is impaled into a person's eye, leave the object alone and call 9-1-1 immediately.

Although sparklers are sometimes considered to be the "safe firework" by the public, these objects burn at temperatures over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause serious burns to a child's skin. These temperatures can also cause clothes to catch on fire. Burns resulting from sparklers or fire crackers should be treated with cold water to cool the skin. After the cooling process, cover the burn with a dry, clean sheet until medical professionals are available.

Although Fourth of July celebrations are times of fun, parents need to maintain a high level supervision over their children if fireworks are present. Even so called "safe fireworks" such as sparklers are very dangerous. Children have a tendency to underestimate the level of danger presented by fireworks. Therefore, adults need to supervise and regulate firework usage to ensure a child's safety. To read more on this topic see Firework Safety.

Mascotte brothers, Duncan Freeman, 10, and Jason McKinney, 12, were presented with lifesaving awards by police and fire officials after the boys ran back into their blazing house to save the lives of their two younger sisters. The awards were signed by Police Chief Steve Allen and Fire Chief Randy Brasher. Brasher said he has never seen such heroism from kids this age in his 23 years as a firefighter. The children were at home with their grandmother, 62, when an electrical fire set the house aflame; the parents were at a grocery store.

Duncan, who will be in fifth grade, rushed through the flames and black smoke to retrieve his sister Lydia Freeman, 5. He carried Lydia out "like a football" so she would not inhale the suffocating smoke. Mandy Freeman, 29, the parents mother was unaware of her boys' heroism until an officer called to tell her about the incident. The family lost their house and everything inside, but not one family member died except for the family's pet guinea pig, Mia.

Electrical fires are fires that are caused by potentially energized electrical equipment and are generally caused by short-circuited machinery or overloaded electrical cables. A basic effective and cheap safety method to avoid these types of fires is to unplug any electrical device when that device is not in use. Also, do not overload power outlets or extension cords. To read more about these young boys' heroism see Brothers rush into home to save younger sisters from house fire.

Can playgrounds be dangerous for your child? According to some parents in Iowa, the answer would be “Yes.” For example, an 18-month-old Iowa girl suffered golf ball size blisters on her hands from second degree burns after going down a plastic slide. Another concerned Iowa parent claims he always checks the slides at playgrounds because the playground slides are either too slick, causing his child to slip off the slide, or too hot.

Although the temperature was 88 degrees on Memorial Day in Iowa, the surface of a slide in a Richmond playground reached a dangerous 157 degrees, definitely hot enough to burn skin. Early daytime or late evening use of slides is recommended due to lower temperatures during those periods.

If the weather is hot enough in Iowa to cause burns on playground slide, reason and science would dictate that Florida and other warm weather States would also have similar dangers on playgrounds at schools, homes, community centers, and other locations.

A child injury at a playground raises some interesting legal issues:

Who is responsible or liable to inspect and maintain safe playground equipment?

If a child is injured on a playground, who is liable for the child’s injuries? Or their medical bills?

A child injury lawyer can counsel you on such issues if you find yourself in such an unfortunate position.

While at a playground, parents, babysitters or any child care givers should keep an extra watchful eye on their children and their surroundings. It is an adult’s responsibility to check the slide before it comes into contact with the child’s skin. Observe whether or not a slide is in a shaded or non-shaded area.

For more on playground safety see >Slides at Playgrounds: An Unforeseen Playground Danger.

A fire forced the evacuation of a Jacksonville, Florida day care center. The day care center is located on Soutel Drive. The Jacksonville Fire Department responded with 45 rescue units and approximately 70 firefighters. Day care workers evacuated the 24 children at the center as well as the staff. One adult needed medical care at a hospital.

Fortunately, tragedy was avoided since no serious personal injuries or deaths were reported of the children enrolled in the center. This incident is a good teaching point for day care centers to prepared for fires and other unexpected emergencies. Getting the children to safety is paramount to everything else. You can read more about this story at Fire Hits Jacksonville, Florida Day Care Center.

Ryan Gooding, of Palm Springs, Florida and friend saw a science experiment on YouTube.com that looked interesting to them, and decided to try to do the experiment on their own. The experiment was creating a rocket out of a plastic soda bottle using vinegar and baking soda.

But when Ryan and his friend were ready to launch the rocket, the bottle accidentally exploded in Ryan’s face, causing chemical burns, lacerations, a broken nose and temporary blindness in one eye. Ryan was hospitalized. Unfortunately, the family’s health insurance policy lapsed two days before the accident took place, and now his mother is trying to figure out how to pay the hospital bills for her son’s care.

Experiments and entertainment on TV and the Internet often look very tempting to young kids, who do not have a fully-developed sense of caution when it comes to dangerous activities. Parents need to help their children understand that mimicking stunts and experiments performed by professionals is dangerous and could get them hurt. The news story did not point out the link to the YouTube.com video Ryan was watching, but one can only hope that it had an appropriate warning for children not to try the experiment at home without supervision.

Read more about Ryan and his family’s plight at Child injured recreating YouTube experiment.

Last Fourth of July, Edward Weise Jr. helped his eight year old son, Edward Weise III, hollow out a pineapple grenade from World War II and fill it with firecracker powder. For some reason, they were unable to get the grenade to ignite and a family member put it on a shelf in the living room and forgot about it.

But Edward, now nine years old, did not forget about the grenade, and attempted to light it on his own recently. The child’s mother, Anne-Marie Weise, reported that she saw her son playing with a lighter in the kitchen just moments before the explosion. She told him to put it away. Apparently he did not listen to her, and continued to try to light the grenade. The resulting explosion critically injured the boy, who was flown to Tampa General for surgery.

A concerned neighbor called the Department of Children and Families’ abuse hotline to report the incident. The DCF is now looking into the matter. Deputies who searched the family’s home found marijuana in the bedroom Ms. Weise shares with her boyfriend, Larry Busby. According to the Polk County Florida Sheriff’s office there are charges pending but no one has been arrested. You can find out more details of this February fireworks accident at Injured Boy's Father Helped Him Fill Grenade With Firecracker Powder.

Whenever there is a Department of Children and Families investigation or criminal investigation, the family or parents under investigation have the right to defend themselves and hire an attorney. While the news reported the involvement of DCF, the results or disposition of the investigation are pending.

A twenty seven year old mother accidentally scalded her five month old son with hot bath water. Apparently, the woman was drawing a bath for the child when she saw a spider in the bathtub; when she attempted to wash the spider down the drain, it jumped out of the tub and onto the child’s arm. She then tried to rinse the spider off of the child by putting the child directly under the running water, not realizing that the water was too hot. The child was brought to the local fire station, where he was found to have second degree burns on his body.

Investigators have determined that the incident was an accident. Other family members at the home told investigators that they were not aware that the hot water heater was set so high. A Pasco County, Florida sheriff’s deputy watched the child’s grandfather turn the heat down. The child has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home with his family.

This unfortunate accident drives home the point that parents need to be vigilant to protect their children at all times. Read more about this unfortunate accident at Mother Trying To Kill Spider Scalds Baby.

If a child has been injured by someone else’s negligence, a Florida Child Injury Lawyer can advise you as to your child's legal rights and the laws pertaining to damages / compensation for these injuries.

The Florida TImes Union website reported that a fire gutted a portable classroom located at Lakeside Elementary School in Orange Park Florida. Fortunately, no Clay County school district students or employees were injured by the fire that took place on a Saturday night. Clay County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. The cause of the fire was reported to be electrical in nature. Hopefully, the school and fire rescue officials will use this information to make sure that no other portables or classrooms are at risks for similar fires. You can read more about this story at Lakeside Elementary School Portable Classroom Fire Reported.

Three masked men with guns broke into a Palm Bay home where five children, ranging in age from ten months to fifteen years old, were waiting for their mother to return home from the hospital with another of her children who needed stitches for an unrelated injury. The mother returned from the hospital and walked in on the gunmen shortly after they had broken in to the home and forced the children to lie down on the living room floor. After the mother arrived home, they threatened the ten month old baby with a gun, choked the eleven year old, threatened the family dog, demanded money, stole all the Christmas presents, and finally poured boiling oil on the mother and her fifteen year old daughter. The young girl is still in the hospital with third degree burns from the oil.

Police believe that the armed intruders may be acquaintances of one of the children’s uncles. The investigation is still under way. This horrific intrusion and torture is very hard to read about. You can read more about this crime and the investigation at Mom, Children Tortured In Palm Bay Home.

Caroline Bramlet, aged twenty one, has been charged with aggravated child abuse, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia after leaving her six week old baby unattended to go chat with neighbors. According to Escambia County, Florida deputies, the child was burned by a fire that broke out some time after the mother left her alone in the apartment. Fire department officials have reported that Ms. Bramlet was using candles in the child’s bedroom. They believe that one of the candles fell off of the windowsill and onto the bed, starting a fire that burned the child’s scalp. The burns are considered minor.

When firefighters responded to the scene, they found drug paraphernalia in the home. The deputies, who arrested Ms. Bramlet, found that she was in possession of marijuana. The infant was treated for her burns and released into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families. Ms. Bramlet has been released from Escambia County Jail on $3500 bond.

This story was reported by the Pensacola News Journal. As with any other criminal case, Ms. Bramlet will be allowed to defend herself of these charges. She will be entitled to representation from a public defender or a private criminal defense lawyer. She may claim that she left the apartment for a good reason and that she was not the owner of the drug paraphernalia or did not know about the drug paraphernalia.

A mother who would leave her infant child alone in a room with burning candles certainly has some problems with judgment. Neither children nor burning candles should ever be left unattended. Find out more about this story at Pensacola mother faces child abuse, drug charges.

State Representative Audrey Gibson is urging residents in Jacksonville, Florida and elsewhere to get rid of unsafe space heaters in their homes. Over the years, many lives have been lost in fires caused by unsafe space heaters. A federally funded program through the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency can help many North Florida residents properly weatherize their homes and get rid of unsafe space heaters. For more information - read the Florida Times Union Website article - Getting Rid of Dangerous Space Heaters.

The Pasco County, Florida Sheriff’s office received a call reporting a house fire on Bridleton Road in Port Richey, Florida. Officials at the scene reported that all of the occupants of the home managed to escape except the 6-year-old boy. The child’s father suffered second-degree burns and was airlifted to an area hospital. The names of the family members and the victim have not been released. Sgt. Mel Eakley of the Pasco, County Florida Sheriff’s Office, has stated that he will work closely with the fire marshal to determine what caused the fire, and to determine if any criminal charges will be brought.

An investigation will seek to determine if arson was a factor in the fire, and if the home was in compliance with the City of Port Richey Municipal Code or other applicable fire protection laws. The interpretation of Florida city and county ordinances can be complicated. There are several issues that arise in a deadly fire, including the following:

How was the fire caused?
Was the fire preventable?
Would smoke alarms have saved the child's life?
Was the home equipped with an appropriate fire detection system?
What other fire prevention or safety measures were in place?
What was the status of the electrical system and ventilation system for the home?
Does the family rent or own the home?
What insurance coverage would apply to the injuries and deaths suffered as a result of this fire?

Read more about this tragic fire at 6-year-old dies in Port Richey house fire.

Jamie Garr was visiting her grandmother for the holidays recently, when the woman’s house caught on fire. Jamie was outside the house riding her bicycle when she noticed the fire, according to neighbors. Jamie reportedly ran into the house and called 911, then attempted to save her great-aunt, Corrine Allen, who lived in the home, from the fire. Neither made it out of the house. A friend of Ms. Allen’s reported that she was suffering from dementia. Jamie’s grandmother was Ms. Allen’s caretaker, and was not home when the fire started.

Investigators believe that the fire was caused by something placed on top of a heater; the heater was between the front door and the bedroom where Jamie and Ms. Allen’s bodies were found. The fire apparently pinned them into the bedroom and prevented them from leaving the house. It is not clear why the two did not try to escape through the window. Neighbors who attempted to get into the house through the front door were unable to make it past the burglar bars.

Fires can break out and become deadly very quickly. Children and adults should be aware of what to do in a fire, and should talk about escape routes and proper fire safety on a regular basis. You can find out more about this tragic fire that claimed the lives of two people at Jacksonville 12-year-old died trying to save great-aunt.

The Florida Times Union reported that a baby recently suffered personal injuries from a space heater fire. Jaxson Spencer Willis was in a stroller that was ignited from kerosene from a space heater. He suffered burns to his legs, arms, back of his head, and his face. Jaxson was initially treated at Shands Jacksonville and then he was airlifted to Shands Gainesville for further treatment. If there is an investigation by the Jacksonville Fire Department and / or the State of Florida Fire Marshal, it will be interesting to know additional details about this incident including the following:

What was the make, model and year of the space heater?

Were there any defects in the space heater?

How did kerosene get on the stroller from the space heater?

Were there problems with the space heater previously?

Who owned the space heater and the house where the incident took place?

Burn injuries to children can be quite devastating and can often times require an extensive amount of medical treatment.