In Hollywood and across South Florida, car accidents are an obvious and frequent cause of injury. Children who are in a car injured in a car collision can suffer from many types of serious and life-threatening injuries. However, a vehicle doesn’t have to be on the road for it to pose serious risks to a child.
Some of the less known risks to kids in vehicles include:
- Falls from motor vehicles. Children who hang out a car window or climb on a vehicle can easily fall from the car. While the height is not great, it is enough to cause fractures and even serious head injuries. To prevent these types of injuries, never leave children unsupervised inside or around cars. Teach children never to play in or around vehicles.
- Seatbelt strangulations. Children can get caught up in seatbelt and can even suffer strangulation from a seatbelt. Proper supervision can minimize the risk. All cars made since 1996 also have a seat-belt locking mechanism. In most models, you can activate it by pulling the seatbelt out fully and letting it retract. This should make it impossible to pull out the seatbelt to a length, but test this and check your owner’s manual to find out how to activate the locking feature on your seat belts.
- Unintentional abduction. Car theft with the child inside the vehicle is not common, but it does occur. Usually, it occurs when a parent or caregiver leaves the child alone in a car which is running or has the keys in it. Leaving a child alone in a car can increase the risk of overheating and suffocation as well as abduction, which is why parents should never do so, even for “just a minute.”
- Fires. Motor vehicle which overheat can burst into flames burning injuries. Always keep up-to-date with any recalls and make sure they are dealt with. If you notice any overheating or mechanical problems in your car, get it checked out at the dealership or at a mechanic you trust.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning. Leaving a child alone in a car is always dangerous, and it’s especially dangerous in an unventilated area were carbon monoxide can build up. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colourless gas which can cause sleepiness and fatal injury quickly. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur if the car is run inside of a garage or inside of a poorly ventilated area or if the tailpipe is blocked.
- Unsafe drivers and caregivers. While you take all the needed precautions to drive safely when your children are in the car, you’re not the only person ferrying your children around. Babysitters, nannies, friends and family members, and other caregivers may all be driving your child at various times. If they do, it’s important to ensure that they have a safe driving record and take the proper precautions to keep your child safe.
Contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) if your child has been injured through someone’s negligence or recklessness and you would like to speak to a Hollywood car accident attorney. Our attorneys have decades of experience in trial and in negotiations and our initial consultation is free and comes with no obligation. Before you make any decisions which can affect a child’s future, talk to us.