Child Injury

Every summer, several California children lose their lives or suffer serious injury when they are left inside a closed car in the summer heat.  Even on seemingly mild days, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach dangerous levels.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 25 U.S. children die each year due to being trapped in a hot vehicle.  Several dozen more children are injured, and some suffer life-altering disabilities as a result.

Children trapped in hot cars are at particular risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke because a car’s windows and panels act like a greenhouse, trapping heat inside the passenger compartment and trunk.  If the temperature outside is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, a car parked in full sun can reach an internal temperature of 131 degrees – too hot for even an adult to touch comfortably.  Cars parked in the sun in 100 degree weather may reach 172 degrees or more inside.

Even a few minutes of exposure to these high temperatures can cause permanent damage to a baby or young child, whose bodies don’t have the tolerance or ability to cope with heat like that of an adult’s body.  Even older children and adults should not sit in closed vehicles in these temperatures, however, since no one is immune to the risks posed by heatstroke.

If your child has been injured after being carelessly left inside a vehicle, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced San Diego child injury attorneys at Jurewitz Law Group to learn more about your family’s legal rights and options. Our number is (888) 233-5020, and your initial consultation is always free and confidential.

Summer means more time spent in family and community swimming pools and hot tubs, where the risks of drowning or entrapment are always present. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently launched its “Pool Safely” campaign to encourage water safety for adults and children alike.

As many experienced San Diego child accident attorneys have seen, drowning or near-drowning causes many deaths and injuries each year. The CPSC estimates that 75 percent of all drownings or near-drownings in swimming pools and hot tubs involve children under age 15. To keep those you love safe this summer, consider the following tips:

• Always supervise children when they are in or near a pool or a hot tub.  Children should never go in the water alone.
• Teach children basic water safety tips, such as how to stay away from pools and other bodies of water, to ask permission before swimming, and how to swim and float safely.
• Keep swimmers away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings so that they don’t accidentally become entrapped.
• Keep a cell phone or cordless phone handset near the pool at all times, so you can call 911 quickly in case of sudden emergency.
• Make sure the pool and hot tub areas are fenced in. Consider installing alarms on doors and fences leading to the pool, so you will be alerted if a child opens one to enter the pool area.
• If you’re searching for a missing child, check the pool first. The difference between a life lost in a drowning and a life saved from drowning can be a matter of seconds.

Currently, there are several family-safety apps available for smartphones and other devices.  Many of them are basic apps that use phone GPS to track family members or to provide automatic alerts when a family member arrives at a pre-determined place, like home or school.  However, some app makers are starting to consider other uses for these apps – including uses that they hope will encourage kids to use the apps and to introduce them to their own families.

For instance, the makers of Alert.Us are actively considering ways to get kids to adopt and promote the app – a change from the usual method of marketing such apps, which are aimed at parents. The makers of Alert.Us believe that if kids can be encouraged to adopt the app as their own, they’ll be more likely to use it, making it more effective than an app kids try to avoid using.

Currently, the Alert.Us app incorporates functions common to family-safety apps, like GPS tracking. However, it also offers a family-specific message board for non-emergency communications, and it contains a battery-tracking feature. If a child’s cell phone battery dies, the app alerts parents, so they’ll know if the battery is the reason a child isn’t answering his or her phone. The company is also considering adding “quantified self” apps that let families track things like exercise and other personal information.

If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the dedicated San Diego accident attorneys at Jurewitz Law Group.

With spring well on its way, families throughout California are opening their windows to enjoy the fresh air.  Having windows open, however, can pose a risk, especially to children who may be enticed by what they can hear or see through the windows, but might not understand the risks of crawling into or playing near an open window.

Falls are one of the top causes of childhood injuries, and this includes falls from windows.  Even falls from first-story windows can cause serious injuries, especially to small children. However, these falls can be prevented by following a few safety tips:

• Install window guards to keep small children from falling out of windows.  Do not rely on screens to prevent falls; these can be broken or pushed out.
• Window stops prevent windows from being opened past the location of the window stop.  They can help protect older children from falls, since the stops prevent the child from pushing the window open far enough to fall through.
• Windows should be locked and closed when they’re not being used.
• Moving furniture away from windows removes an incentive for children to climb up to windows, reducing the risk of falls.
• Supervise children at all times, especially when they are near windows.

If you or a child you love has been injured and you believe someone else’s negligence is to blame, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced San Diego injury attorneys at Jurewitz Law Group to learn more about your legal rights. Our number is (888) 233-5020, and your call is free and confidential.

On the morning of Friday, February 1, 2013, a SUV female driver ran a red light and hit a 14-month old toddler in a stroller along with his nanny, Monserrat “Monse” Mendez, while walking across the intersection crosswalk.

After the devastating accident, the toddler was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital where he fought for his life in the Intensive Care Unit for a week. We are relieved to say that the young boy was released a week after the accident, February 8, and is now home recuperating from a skull fracture, pelvic fracture, and broken rib.

Mendez was also taken to the hospital after the accident, but had suffered severe injuries and later passed away in the hospital. We are saddened by this tragedy, but also extremely grateful to her for possibly saving the child’s life by giving her own life.

Since investigation is currently underway, the exact identity of the SUV driver has not been made public. The SUV driver has been cooperative with the police and has not been charged in the fatal accident. According to NBC 7, the crosswalk accident took place in the 14700 block of Via Verrazzano and Camino Del Sur.

Drivers that disregard the rules of the road, such as running a red light, can severely injury and/or kill innocent people. The toddler’s parents and Mendez family have a legal right to seek justice against the at-fault party for severe harm the nanny and toddler had to endure. Contact our professional San Diego pedestrian accident attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group, who has fought and won against negligent drivers for over a decade.

If you want to help the Mendez family through this tough time, please visit any Wells Fargo Branch and deposit your contributions to the Monserrat Mendez Memorial Fund.

A nine-year-old girl was struck and seriously injured in a pedestrian accident on November 26 around 5:15 p.m. in San Marcos. According to authorities, the girl ran into the street and was struck by a northbound white-colored Infiniti G35 in the 400 block of North Twin Oaks Valley.

Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Stalzer said that the injured child was immediately rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital to receive medical treatment. We hope and pray that the injuries suffered by the young girl heal soon.

The motorist stayed at the accident scene and cooperated with the deputies to help them further investigate the accident.

Generally, drivers are not bound to foresee a child running out in front of the car, especially if the motorist has no knowledge about any child near the road and cannot be expected to discover their presence. However, if a motorist is aware or should be aware of the child’s presence, he or she has a duty to exercise reasonable care for their safety.

Negligence of the motorist can only be determined if there is enough proof that the motorist saw the child running towards the street before she was struck. If it is found that the motorist was obeying all requirements of the law and was travelling at a safe speed, then there is a possibility that he won’t be held liable for this accident.

The motorist needs to consult with an experienced child dart-out accident attorney to learn about his or her legal rights. The injured girl’s family members are also advised to get in touch with an experienced attorney that can help them get their deserved compensation if in fact the negligence of the motorist did cause the child’s injury.

If your child was struck and injured by a car or if you struck a child with your vehicle, contact our experienced San Marcos child dart-out accident attorneys at (888) 233-5020 for the personal attention and peace of mind you need.

A three-year-old boy suffered a serious head injury and possible broken arm after he fell from a second-story apartment window in City Heights on September 23. According to San Diego Police officers, the child was playing on top of a desk when he leaned towards the window to look down at other kids who were playing below and fell from the window.

The child was conscious and breathing when the authorities arrived. Our hearts go out to the child and his family and best wishes for a healthy recovery from the fall accident.

In every child injury accident case, the preliminary investigation should be focused on whether the child or a third party contributed to the accident. A detailed investigation will surely help the investigating officers determine the exact cause and find out who was at fault.

The injured child’s parents need to immediately get in touch with an experienced personal injury lawyer who would establish a way to help the child get the required medical treatment without any delay. If it is found in the investigation that carelessness of a third party contributed to this serious accident, then the injured child’s parents may be eligible to obtain a legal compensation to cover treatment costs.

Falling injuries can usually occur due to inadequate hand rails, poor lighting, and unsafe balconies. Most of these falling accidents result in broken bones, brain damage, and even death. Sometimes unaware, parents do have a legal right to seek the advice of a lawyer to help cover for any suffered losses.

If you or a loved one has suffered from a child injury accident, get in touch with our City Heights child injury lawyers at (888) 233-5020 for a free consultation on your case.

A two-year-old boy was struck and fatally injured by a truck on September 21 around 6 p.m. in the 400 block of North Horne Street in Oceanside. According to Lt. Leonard Mata from Oceanside police, the toddler was struck by a 55-year-old Fallbrook man driving a 2012 Toyota Tundra.

U-T San Diego reported that the boy was playing with other kids in the building courtyard when he rushed into the truck’s way. The injured child was immediately taken to Rady Children’s Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Our law office sends our sincere condolences to the toddler’s family and friends for such a devastating loss.

The police will have to undergo a thorough investigation by talking to eyewitnesses and by gathering evidence to help them determine the exact cause and negligent party. For the driver to be found even partially at fault, factors like failing to yield or improper driving will have to be proven. If reckless or inattentive driving caused this fatal truck accident, officials will need to assure that the at-fault motorist is cited and brought to justice.

The parents of the deceased toddler need to take immediate action and get in touch with an experienced Oceanside child injury accident attorney who would help file the child injury claim. An experienced lawyer will examine all the evidence and determine if the driver knew or should have known that the child was nearby. If he did, then the driver had a duty to exercise reasonable care. This would put the driver at fault, which would help the family members of the child receive compensation for the tragic accident.

Getting hit by a car can leave a person seriously injured, especially for young children. If you are a parent of a child injured in an accident that occurred due to a dart-out case, contact our Oceanside child injury accident attorneys for a free consultation at (888) 233-5020.

A seven-month-old baby boy died after falling from the third floor window in Normal Heights at 4500 39th Street on September 7 around 5:12 p.m. Detectives investigating this accident arrested infant’s 33-year-old mother, Zewoinesh Badasso, on suspicion of murder.

According to San Diego police homicide Lt. Ernie Herbert, an eyewitness called the police to inform that a baby was lying on the ground under the apartment window.

Police officials and paramedics immediately transported the infant to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead around 5:50 p.m. Our law office offers our sincere condolences to the child’s family members for such a shocking loss.

In almost every premises liability case, it must be decided whether or not the victim’s carelessness contributed to the accident. However in this accident, it is clear that the infant’s mother’s carelessness might have contributed to the tragic death of the child.

Accidents related to dangerous premises can be silent killers and this accident may be an example of that.
Unlike other accidents, figuring out the cause of this child injury accident may be difficult, but not impossible. If it is determined that the primary cause of the child injury was due to negligence or wrongdoing, then the child’s mother would be held liable. If you have information that can help detectives solve this case, please call (619) 531-2293.

The child’s family members need assistance of an aggressive child injury lawyer, who has experience to provide dependable legal assistance during this hard time.

Call our experienced San Diego child injury lawyers at (888) 233-5020 for a free consultation session!

A boy was struck in a severe car crash that occurred in February 20, 2012, around 5 p.m. in Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma. According to the police, the child was struck and injured at the intersection of Cordova Street and Ladera Street.

The young boy suffered a broken leg in this serious car accident. Medics responding to this severe pedestrian crash immediately transported the injured boy to Rady Children’s Hospital for medical treatment.

From the present facts, it is unclear how this car accident occurred. However, it appears that negligent and reckless driving of the car driver may have contributed to this serious pedestrian accident.

The injured child’s parents may file a personal injury claim against the car driver to obtain compensation to cover cost of treatment, hospital, and other related damages.

Our San Diego personal injury law office hopes that the injuries suffered by the child heal soon and do not prove fatal.

Ross Jurewitz represents people injured in San Diego County pedestrian accidents and is the managing lawyer of the Jurewitz Law Group, a California based personal injury law firm dedicated to representing families of people injured or killed in car crash. If you or a loved one has been killed or injured in a car accident in Point Loma due to a negligent motorist, please order your free copy of The Ultimate California Car Accident Book. It is full of helpful information that will help you protect your legal rights and it is free to all California residents.