Author: Richard H. Adler

As attorneys, we often have perfect hindsight on how injuries may have been prevented. Rarely, however, do we have the opportunity to address concerns of safety and prevention before an injury occurs.

The attorneys in our office recently attended a seminar concerning closed-head injuries in children and adults. Attorneys, health care specialists, and rehabilitative case workers from around the country attended the seminar. One of the program speakers, William D. Singer, M.D., has been actively involved in pediatric neurology for more than 15 years. Currently, he is Assistant Chief of Pediatrics at Cambridge and Mount Auburn Hospitals, a member of the Children's Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a neurological consultant at Greenery Rehabilitation Center at Boston. He is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Singer is a national spokesman on the treatment and prevention of brain injury; his articles on these subjects have been widely published in medical journals. He has also appeared on numerous national and local radio and television programs. One article included in the seminar materials was written by Dr. Singer and offered "safety tips" to alert parents and other responsible adults to environmental and behavioral hazards that put children at risk for head injury.

Dr. Signer's suggestions for prevention of head injury include:

VEHICLE SAFETY:

The most common and preventable head injuries in children result from motor vehicle accidents in which children hit their heads on windows, windshields, and other hard surfaces inside an automobile.

1. Seat belts are simple devices that can prevent most brain injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents. They should be worn every time the car is driven, regardless of the length of the trip. Remember that the most serious accidents occur within ten miles of home.

2. Parents act as powerful role models for children and should always wear their seat belts.

3. A child should never be on someone's lap while riding in a car, regardless of whether the adult is wearing his or her seat belt.

4. In Washington, the law requires that infants and children be restrained in a car seat. The seat should be carefully anchored according to the manufacturer's instructions.

ROLLERSKATES, SKATEBOARDS, AND ATVS:

5. Most children enjoy rollerskating, skateboarding, and bicycling. Children must be taught to act defensively and to wear helmets and other protective gear at all times.

6. Whenever a child is riding on a bicycle with a parent, he or she must be properly buckled into an appropriate child's bicycle seat and should wear a suitable helmet. Of course, parents must set an example themselves by wearing helmets at all times when riding.

7. Other children are frequently attracted to the excitement of operating sport vehicles such as scooters and ATVs. Children who are permitted to operate such vehicles must be carefully trained and their behavior and performance must be carefully monitored. They must wear helmets and other appropriate gear at all times.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY:

8. Children should be taught never to chase a ball, toy, pet, or person into the street.

9. Children should be discouraged from playing near traffic, behind parked cars, or in any unsafe areas such as abandoned lots and unoccupied buildings.

HOME SAFETY:

10. The time to child proof the house is before a child arrives. The home of grandparents, friends, and others should also be carefully examined from a children's perspective, and modified as necessary.

11. Emergency telephone numbers should be posted near every phone. Children should be taught at the earliest possible age to dial these emergency numbers. Numbers should include the police, fire department, poison control center, and a friendly neighbor.

12. As part of their independence, older children may try to reach higher shelves or cabinets. Instruct the child not to use unstable supports to reach those high places. Teach the child the proper use of a sturdy step stool.

13. Many youngsters feel comfortable walking through the house in their stocking feet. Discourage this behavior since a child slipping on hardwood floors and slippery steps may risk a serious fall.

14. Stairways are a curiosity -- and a high risk -- for young children. Children playing at the top may easily tumble down and injure themselves. Always secure safety gates at both the top and bottom of each stairway.

15. Walkers and scoot toys are extremely dangerous around stairways. The wheels of these tops catch easily on carpeting and overturn, causing a fall down the stairs.

16. During the first few weeks or months of sleeping in a big bed, use removable bed rails to assure that the child does not accidentally fall out. Remember, too, that the bed is frequently the scene of a child's horseplay. Be careful to examine the area around the child's bed and remove any protruding, sharp, or potentially harmful objects.

17. Equip bathtubs and showers with non-slip mats.

DIVING, JUMPING, AND BOATING:

18. Serious brain and spinal cord injuries frequently result from diving or jumping into unknown water. Teach your child never to dive into water without first having an adult check whether the water is deep enough and free of below-surface hazards.

19. All children should wear flotation devices when boating or canoeing.

I hope Dr. Singer's safety tips will be useful and instructive. Please share this information with your patients, family, and friends.

Sincerely,
ADLER GIERSCH, P.S.

Richard H. Adler
Attorney at Law