Kids and Cars

Keep Your Kids Out of Hot Cars This Summer

The vehicle safety advocacy organization KidsandCars.org has for a long time waged public safety campaigns to help keep kids safe around cars, even when they aren’t moving. They work to highlight some of the more “under the radar” risks like trunk entrapment, power windows, roll-overs, and—most timely right now—the risk of heat stroke.

According to the safety organization, nearly 40 children die every single year because of heat-related causes after being trapped inside a motor vehicle. Of course, this risk is greatly increased during the summer months, when even the best parents or caregivers might accidently overlook the sleeping child in the car seat.
This spring, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched its own safety campaign to prevent child heatstroke. It is the first ever national campaign focused on this important safety issue and encourages parents and caregivers to think “Where’s baby? Look before you lock.” NHTSA data shows that heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle related deaths for children under the age of 14. In addition to the deaths, heatstroke can cause serious ailments such as permanent brain injury, blindness and loss of hearing, among other health issues.

Research has shown that heatstroke deaths are usually caused by a couple strings of events. One situation involves a child playing in a vehicle without the caregiver’s knowledge. Heatstroke incidents are also frequently connected to a change in routine for the caregiver, particularly when they are not normally in charge of transporting the child.

The NHTSA campaign urges parents and caregivers to take the following types of precautions to prevent these tragic accidents from occurring:
• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on
• Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away
• Ask the childcare provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected
• Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidently left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver’s view to indicate a child is in the car seat
• Teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child’s reach
• Community members can also play a vital role in protecting young children by calling 911 or another local emergency number if they see a child alone in a hot vehicle.

Aqua-Leisure Recalls Children’s Trampolines

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: First Fitness® Trampolines with Handlebars

Units: About 40,000

Manufacturer: Aqua-Leisure Industries Inc., of Avon, Mass.

Hazard: Metal fatigue can cause the handlebar to break away during use, posing a risk of laceration from exposed metal surfaces or other injury from a fall.

Incidents/Injuries: Aqua-Leisure has received four reports of handlebars breaking from the metal connection joint during use. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves First Fitness Kid’s First trampolines with handlebars. The child-size toy trampolines have a red and blue metal handlebar, a blue nylon deck guard and a black jumping deck. “First Fitness” is embossed on the jumping deck in white letters. The trampolines can be identified by model number FF-6902TR and Toys R Us SKN 491463. The model and store numbers can be found on the lower right corner of the back of the packaging. A sewn-in tag on the bottom of the deck lists the factory date code of five numbers followed by “GLTX.”

Sold Exclusively at: Toys “R” Us stores nationwide from September 2010 through April 2012 for between $45 and $70.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled trampolines from children and contact Aqua-Leisure’s recall hotline for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Aqua-Leisure toll-free at (888) 912-7087 between 8:30 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.aqualeisure.com

Picture of Recalled Children’s Trampoline

Bicycle Recalls

The US Consumer Products Safety commission has listed ten bicycle recalls.   Take a look before you venture out on your bicycle outing.

Walmart Trampoline Recall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2012
Release #12-172
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888)-965-0565
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Trampolines Recalled by Sportspower Limited Due to Fall Hazard; Sold Exclusively at Walmart

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Sportspower BouncePro 14′ Trampolines

Units: About 92,000

Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.

Manufacturer: Sportspower Limited, of Hong Kong, China

Hazard: The netting surrounding these trampolines can break, allowing children to fall through the netting and be injured.

Incidents/Injuries: Sportspower has received 17 reports of the net breaking, resulting in 11 injuries including broken bones, back and neck injuries, and contusions.

Description: The recall involves the Sportspower BouncePro 14’ Trampolines with brown mesh netting. UPC codes 68706404210, and 68706404244 are printed on the trampoline box. “Sportspower BouncePro 14” and “TR-14-63-A” are printed on a plate on the leg of the trampoline frame. The trampolines are surrounded by brown netting measuring about 6 feet high on the perimeter of the trampoline. The netting is designed to contain individuals bouncing on the trampoline.

Sold exclusively at: Walmart stores nationwide from February 2009 through February 2012 for about $275.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the trampolines immediately and contact Sportspower to receive replacement black netting for the trampoline.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Sportspower’s customer service hotline toll-free at (888)-965-0565 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at http://www.sportspowerltd.net/recall-bouncepro-14ft.html, or send an e-mail to Sportspower at customerservice@sportspowerltd.net

Bicycle Safety during National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month, and this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and AAA are teaming up to launch the annual “Be a ‘Roll’ Model” public awareness campaign, with a focus on bicycle safety.

The focus of the Roll Model campaign is to get parents, grandparents, older siblings and caregivers to commit to demonstrating safe bicycling habits every time they get on a bicycle. This means:

  • Riding and driving with focus—never getting distracted
  • Riding and driving prepared—always expecting the unexpected
  • Putting safety first—always wear a bicycle helmet
  • Following the rules of the road—remember that a bicycle is required to follow motor vehicle laws , including all traffic signs and signals
  • Sharing the road—all vehicle drivers, cars and bicyclists, need to be aware and respectful of one another

On that last point—about sharing the road—Nebraska recently passed an important piece of legislation that will help to make the roadways safer for both bikers and motorists alike. Known as the “3 foot passing law”, the legislation requires every vehicle to leave a clearance of three feet between their vehicle and any bicycle or electric assistive mobility device (such as a motorized wheelchair) when passing.

Iowa currently does not have similar traffic laws and would be wise to follow Nebraska’s example. This type of legislation that requires motorists to give bicyclists a safe distance when sharing the road is crucial to making our roadways safer and increasing the use of bicycles as a safe and healthy form of transportation.

Throughout the month of May, there will be several bicycle events across the country, including Bike to School Day on May 9; Bike to Work Week from May 14-18; and Bike to Work Day on May 18.

Pradaxa

Pradaxa linked to unexpectedly high number of fatal bleeding incidents

At the end of last year, the FDA caught the attention of thousands of patients when it issued new drug safety information concerning the link between Pradaxa and potentially deadly hemorrhaging. Pradaxa is a blood thinning medication that helps to reduce the risk of stroke for patients who suffer from a heart condition known as non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The drug was approved for use by the FDA in 2010, providing a substitute for the widely-used, but risky drug warfarin. But since then, a number of hemorrhaging incidents have called into question the safety of Pradaxa.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of persistent irregular heartbeat. Patients who suffer from this particular condition face a greatly increased risk of stroke. When the heart doesn’t beat strongly and regularly, there is a greater likelihood that a blood clot can develop and travel to the brain, which in turn results in a stroke. Often, patients with AF use medications like Pradaxa or warfarin to counter this risk. The anticoagulant drugs act as blood thinners to prevent clots from forming. Between obtaining FDA approval in October of 2010 and August of 2011, nearly 1.1 million Pradaxa prescriptions were filled in the United States.

But the use of blood thinners like Pradaxa carries its own risk: even a minor scrape or injury can quickly result in excessive and uncontrolled hemorrhaging. This was apparently known at the time of FDA approval, and studies even showed bleeding events occurred at the same rate for Pradaxa as compared to warfarin. But after Pradaxa went on the market, there has been higher rate of reported bleeding incidents than expected. The FDA continues to investigate why that is the case.

In the meantime, claims against the maker of the anticoagulant drug Pradaxa are starting to make their way into the court system. This last month, three plaintiffs filed suit in the United States against the German company that makes the drug, Boehringer Ingelheim. That company admits that in just one year of being on the market, Pradaxa was linked to 260 cases of fatal bleeding.

While the FDA investigation and litigation moves forward, patients are advised not to stop taking the drug without consulting their physician. But at the same time, patients need to be keenly aware of any adverse effects that indicate a bleeding problem:

  • unusual bleeding from the gums
  • nose bleeding that happens often
  • menstrual or vaginal bleeding that is heavier than normal
  • bleeding that is severe or you cannot control
  • pink or brown urine
  • red or black stools (looks like tar)
  • bruises that happen without a known cause or that get larger
  • coughing up blood or blood clots
  • vomiting blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

End Distracted Driving

Join us in a nationwide campaign to end distracted driving

Distracted driving—as we’ve written about before—is a leading cause of auto accidents, resulting in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries every single year. And like many auto safety issues, solving the problem of distracted driving means changing driver behavior and attitudes.

One reason that distracted driving is such a widespread issue is because it encompasses a wide range of activities that don’t all seem that risky. But any activity that takes away a driver’s full attention to the road counts as distracted driving: chatting with a passenger, adjusting the radio or climate controls, grooming, looking up directions, grabbing a meal in the car, and of course the much-discussed cell phone use while driving. Read more

Omaha Personal Injury Attorney Helps Those Injured in Accidents

I’m John Inserra one of the attorneys with Inserra & Kelley.

When a person is involved in an accident that results in personal injury or property damage, they are always faced with the question: should I hire a Lawyer?

Our advice is to always talk to a lawyer so you know the legal path you will find yourself.

We will assist you in navigating that legal path and we will advise you on a broad range of issues such as: Investigation of the facts and legal issues; management of medical care and medical bills; evaluation of current and future damages; negotiation of your claim for settlement; and, filing your lawsuit and trial.

A Inserra & Kelley we have handled personal injury claims for 60 years

 

Personal Injury Attorney Helps With Prescription Drug Complications in Omaha

I’m John Inserra of Inserra and Kelley.

If you’re the victim of a prescription drug malpractice and now have legal questions, call us toll free at 800-642-1242.

When you go to your doctor, you expect them to diagnose and treat you correctly.

You trust them to prescribe you the correct medication.

However, sometimes mistakes are made that end up hurting you more than they help you.

When this happens, your family is put in a tight spot as the bills begin piling up.

We will help you navigate the questions such as: Who pays your medical bills? How should you interact with your current doctor? Should you go see another doctor? What responsibility does your doctor have in this mistake and how can you take action?

As a husband and father of two children, I’m sensitive to your situation.

We’re here for you.

Inserra and Kelley: Representing the injured for over 50 years.

Personal Injury Attorney Helps With Hip and Knee Implant Failures in Omaha

I’m John Inserra of Inserra and Kelley.

If you are suffering from a hip or knee implant failure and now have legal questions, call us toll free at 800-642-1242.

Most hospitals and doctors do a fine job.

The truth is, only a small group account for the vast majority of medical negligence.

If you are the victim of medical negligence through a failed hip or knee replacement surgery, you are left with questions and frustration that makes it a confusing time for your family.

We will help you navigate the questions such as: Who pays your medical bills? How should you interact with your current doctor? Should you go see another doctor? What responsibility does your doctor have in this mistake and how can you take action?

As a husband and father of two children, I’m sensitive to your situation.

We’re here for you.

Inserra and Kelley: Representing the injured for over 60 years.