There are conflicting reports as to what caused an 80-pound American Bully terrier to attack a 7-year-old boy. While the victim, Malik Albright, claims the Charlotte, North Carolina dog attack occurred because another 7-year-old, Elijah Howzer, told his dog, named “DK,” to attack, Howzer’s family is disputing the allegations.

They contend that Albright jumped over the fence into their yard and that is when DK started pursuing him. Albright sustained injuries to ear, face, and leg from the incident.

In North Carolina, Charlotte, dog bite lawyer Michael A. DeMayo represents children and adults injured in animal attacks. Because the state’s personal injury laws involve contributory negligence, if a victim contributed to his/her injuries, he/she cannot recover any compensation. This is just one of the many reasons why it is important to consult with someone like North Carolina injury attorney DeMayo right away.

Dog bite injuries can be extremely severe, and the physical and emotional injuries can take their toll. Some dog bites can be so vicious that the victim may have to undergo numerous surgeries, including cosmetic surgery, and he/she may still be left disfigured.

Charlotte, NC personal injury lawyer Michael A. DeMayo is familiar with the steps involved in filing your dog bite claim and he knows what you will need to prove that you are owed financial recovery by a negligent dog owner, premise owner, or any other responsible party. Attorney DeMayo has helped North Carolina dog bite victims recover compensation for medical bills, future medical expenses, permanent disability, lost income, permanent disfigurement and scarring, loss of enjoyment of life, and wrongful death.

To give you one recent example of a Charlotte dog bite attack that left a child with injuries so severe that he needed a lot more than a visit to the doctor to heal, 6-year-old Jakob Clark was in the hospital more than 35 days after a pit bull attacked him in December 2010. His legs and arms were so badly damaged that doctors didn’t know whether he would be able to walk again. Jakob was put on a ventilator and had to undergo over a dozen surgeries. He also has needed extensive physical therapy.

Sometimes, a person’s injuries are so severe that future as well as current costs have to be assessed and factored in as part of your financial recovery. By working with someone like Charlotte, North Carolina dog attack attorney Michael A. DeMayo, you have someone who has the legal experience and skills to represent you.

 Dog Bites Happen More Often in the Summer, Says Study

According to some researchers, with summer fast approaching, the risk of young kids being bitten by a dog goes up. Per their study, published in Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery in 2009, they think this may be because kids, out of school, are more likely to be outdoors with dogs. It could also be that dogs become more irritable when the weather is hotter.

Your first consultation with Charlotte, North Carolina dog bite lawyer DeMayo is free. Should you decide to retain the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, you will only pay for legal services out of any financial recovery.

Call 1- 877-529-1222. Charlotte, North Carolina injury attorney DeMayo and his law firm have helped over 35,000 across the Carolinas since 1992.

Dog owner disagrees with 7-year-old’s story of attack, WCNC, May 14, 2012

St. Matthew reaches out to boy mauled by dog, South Charlotte Weekly, January 13, 2011

Dog bite risk for kids greatest in summers, ABC News, March 9, 2012

In what appears to be a North Carolina drowning accident in a lagoon at a wastewater-treatment plant, a 12-year-old boy lost his ilfe on Friday after he entered the premise through a back fence with 13 other youths. According to police, the boy slipped on a plastic liner that was there to prevent the waste from leaking through the sides and bottom of the lagoon and landed in the water. Two of the kids he was with jumped in to try to save him but failed.

Rescue workers used a net to sift through the 2-3-acre sewage treatment pond. Unfortunately, lightning forced them to stop the search until Saturday morning.

They recovered the boy’s body at around 11:30am today. Northampton County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Parnel said that because rescuers were dealing with a sewage treatment bond, divers were not able to the water. Also, because the pond’s bottom is a rubber line that could be ruptured, they could not use drag instruments and metal rods.

North Carolina Wrongful Death

If someone you love was killed in an accident on another person’s property, you may have grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit involving North Carolina premises liability. However, a lot of this will depend on the specifics of your case and the experience of your legal representation.

For example, generally, people who were hurt on a property that they weren’t given permission to be on usually cannot sue for damages. That said, there are exceptions.  For example, there is the “attractive nuisance” doctrine. Per the rule, if the property owner anticipates that a minor might enter the property, then the landowner must exercise reasonable care to prevent North Carolina injuries to a minor. The doctrine provides protection to small children or those whose age is “tender.” However, the doctrine doesn’t apply to “common dangers” and in certain cases, it has been found that the premise owner’s responsibility only existed where he/she knew that the minor was on the grounds. Yet there have been cases where constructive knowledge was enough.

Obviously, North Carolina premises liability law, its interpretation, and any exceptions can be complex and difficult to understand without legal help.  Other reasons why someone might choose to sue a property owner for personal injury or wrongful death may involve inadequate security, hazardous conditions, improper maintenance, failure to warn of dangers, failure to remedy unsafe conditions, failure to prevent potential accidents despite the foreseeable scenarios, and neglecting to warn about violent crimes that happened on or near the property.

To schedule your free case evaluation with our Charlotte, North Carolina premises liability law firm, contact The Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP today.

Boy, 12, drowns in Northampton County sewage lagoon, NewsObserver, March 17, 2012

Authority Finds Body of Drowned Boy, The Daily Herald, March 17, 2012

More Blog Posts: 

Preventing North Carolina Drowning Accidents: CPSC’s Pool and Spa Drain Cover Recall is a Reminder that Entrapment Can Lead to Serious Injuries and Death, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, June 6, 2011

High Point Pool Drowning Accident Claims the Life of Teenager in North Carolina, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, June 22, 2010

Road Where Charlotte, North Carolina Truck Crash that Claimed the Lives of Two Young Brothers Happened Has No Sidewalk, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, February 23, 2012

Small magnets can pose a dangerous choking hazard. Little enough to place in the mouth and easy to swallow, magnets can also pose other serious dangers—especially when more than one magnet is involved.

Unfortunately, these items don’t lose their magnetic attraction to each other even after ingestion and should they find themselves being pulled toward each other, serious human injury can result, including blood poisoning, the creation of holes in the stomach or intestines, intestinal blockage, or death. Depending on the specifics of what happened, this could be grounds for a Charlotte, North Carolina products liability case.

Recently in the US, a 3-year-old girl had to undergo surgery after she swallowed 37 Buckyballs magnets. The little pieces found each other inside her and when an X-ray was conducted the images showed that the magnets had joined up to form into the shape of a bracelet. (Buckyballs has said that it does warn about the hazards posed by its magnets, which are made for adults.)

Kids and the elderly are especially prone to serious injuries from swallowing magnets. With children, however, the risk is especially high. Very young kids are already prone to putting small items in their mouths to begin with and most of them are not yet able to realize the potential consequences of their actions. Some older kid have also been known to swallow magnets.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that it is aware of 33 incidents involving kids swallowing magnets. 19 of these children had to undergo surgery. One child died.

A manufacturer can be held liable for Charlotte, North Carolina personal injury if its defective or dangerous product caused the injury or death. Because of the complexity involved with these types of cases, it is important that you work with an experienced North Carolina injury law firm that understands the nature of products liability cases and knows how to pursue your financial recovery.

In North Carolina, the doctrine of contributory negligence can prevent a plaintiff from recovering anything if his/her negligence was a proximate cause of injury. However, there is a doctrine of last clear chance that can allow this plaintiff to recover compensation if it can be proven that he/she put his/her self in a state of helpless peril, the defendant knew or should have known about this perilous state and the plaintiff’s inability to get out of it and/or could have, by exercising reasonable care, prevented the injury from happening.

Every case is different. By working with an experienced Charlotte, North Carolina products liability lawyer, you increase your chances of recovery.

Contact the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP and ask for your free case evaluation.

Toddler swallows 37 magnets, survives, MSNBC, March 6, 2012

High-powered magnets + swallowing by kids = Deadly, CPSC, November 10, 2011

Top 5 dangerous objects kids like to swallow, Time, March 6, 2012

More Blog Posts:

Preventing North Carolina Injuries to Kids: NHTSA Introduces ’10-Year-Old Child’ Crash Test Dummy, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, February 29, 2012

Two Newton, North Carolina High School Students Suspended Following Alleged Hazing Assault, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, December 22, 2011

Road Where Charlotte, North Carolina Truck Crash that Claimed the Lives of Two Young Brothers Happened has No Sidewalk, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, February 23, 2012

In an effort to increase child safety for kids weighing over 65 pounds, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is introducing a new crash test dummy for booster and child safety seats for bigger kids. The “10-Year-old Child” dummy will help provide information related to injury risk involving chest acceleration, knee excursion, and head excursion.

Also, the NHTSA has issued a final rule that now officially revises current federal child safety seat standard to include boosters and car seats for kids weighing 66-80 pounds.  This standard will assess whether higher-weight restraint systems are able to manage crash energy, as well determine if a seat’s structure will stay intact when the dummy is used during testing. Car seat and booster seat makers will have two years to certify that their child car safety devices for higher-weight kids fulfill the latest requirements.

The final rule and new testing requirements are the latest in the government’s efforts to promote car safety for children. Last year, NHTSA urged caregivers and parents to keep kids in harnessed car seats for as long as they can and ensure that weight and height requirements were met and maxed out before deciding that a child no longer needed a booster or car seat. The federal safety agency’s child seat guidance also urged that kids be made to use booster seats until they grew to a size large enough that a seat belt was sufficient to keep them properly secured—especially during a car crash.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers represent families whose kids were injured in catastrophic car crashes. Although in many cases the negligent driver or the maker of a defective vehicle will likely be the negligent party, sometimes, a child involved in an auto collision does sustain serious injuries because a car seat was defective or failed. In these instances, the victim’s family may have grounds for a North Carolina products liability case against the child safety seat manufacturer.

Just this January, Britax Child Safety, Inc. recalled about 14,220 Chaperone Infant Car Seats because the chair’s harness adjuster had a defective. If the adjuster were to come off the seat, it could render the safety harness straps that secure a baby useless.  At the time that the recall was announced, NHTSA said it didn’t know of any injuries or deaths related to the car seat defect.

It is important that you buy a child safety seat that is the right size for your child (according to age, height, or weight). The car seat must also be a good fit with the vehicle it will be used in, and it must be properly installed.

Our Lumberton, North Carolina child injury attorneys know how devastating it can be to realize that your child was hurt because of someone else’s negligence or due to a situation that was out of your control but could have been prevented.

To schedule your free case evaluation with our Monroe, North Carolina products liability law firm, contact the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP today.

NHTSA Unveils New ’10-Year-Old Child’ Crash Test Dummy, NHTSA, February 21, 2012

Read NHTSA’s Final Rule

Recall: Britax child safety seat—Harness straps will not properly restrain a child, Consumer Reports, January 27, 2012

More Blog Posts:

Will New Car Seat Guidelines Decrease the Number of North Carolina Child Injuries that Occur During Traffic Crashes?, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, April 6, 2011

Keeping Your Child Safe During North Carolina Car Crashes, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, September 16, 2009

Motor Vehicle Accidents Continue to Be the #1 Killer of Children, Says World Health Organization, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, December 29, 2008

Brothers Kadrien Brewton, 5, and Jeremy Brewton, 1, died yesterday when a Sears delivery truck struck them. The Charlotte, North Carolina truck accident happened in the morning as they were walking with their dad, Jeremy Brewton, to day care. Jeremy and their baby sister, who was in a stroller, did not sustain injuries.

Police have charged truck driver Jerome Brewton with two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. Neighbors have said that the area of West Tyvola Road where the deadly collision happened is in desperate need of speed bumps or a sidewalk, which doesn’t exist for about a tenth of a mile stretch despite the fact that pedestrians often walk there and two school bus stops are located nearby.

According to the CharlotteObserver.com, a city transportation department spokesperson has confirmed that West Tyvola from West Boulevard to Old Steele Creek Road needs a sidewalk. Previous to yesterday’s crash, two North Carolina pedestrian accidents have taken place on that area of road in the last 15 years.

Depending on who caused the deadly Charlotte, NC truck collision, the children’s families may have grounds for a North Carolina wrongful death case against the truck driver, Sears, and/or the city. The employer of a truck driver that accidentally kills someone in a crash while on the job can be held liable, as can other related parties, such as the contractor that rented the truck or the manufacturer of a truck that was defective. A government entity also can be held responsible for failing to make a road safe enough by not putting into place an appropriate speed limit, speed bumps, sidewalks, a traffic sign, traffic lights, a pedestrian lane, or other necessary elements.

The siblings are not the only ones to lose their lives in a North Carolina traffic crash this week.  Last night, two people died when a sport utility vehicle that was involved in a police chase struck the vehicle that they were riding. The victims are former Belmont Mayor Kevin Loftin, 56, and his friend Donna Jean Deitz, 60. They were pronounced dead at the crash site. Two other people who were riding a PT Cruiser that was also hit sustained minor injuries.

The Gaston car accident occurred at around 10:15pm. The SUV’s driver, Lester Saunders Norman, Jr., was charged with two counts of second-degree murder.  Police say that they started chasing Norman when he failed to stop at a DWI checkpoint. He was reportedly driving at a speed of around 75 mph when the North Carolina auto collision happened. Norman was operating without a license.

Following the crash, police say that Norman attempted to flee the accident site but was soon apprehended. He is charged with reckless driving while intoxicated, felony death by vehicle, failure to stop at a red light, speeding, assault with a deadly weapon on government officials, driving with a revoked license, and resisting a public officer.

In this type of situation, the victims’ families may be able to pursue a claim not just against a negligent driver but also against police if they could/should have been able to prevent the pursuit from turning deadly.

Every Charlotte, North Carolina car accident is different. The only way to find out if you have a case is to speak with an experienced motor vehicle crash law firm right away. At the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP, we represent clients in Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, Catawba, Cabarrus, Lincoln, Cleveland, Caldwell, Rowan, Iredell, Stanley, Burke, Alexander, Robeson, Richmond, Scotland, Cumberland, and Anson, North Carolina. We also represent clients in Lancaster, Marlboro, Chesterfield, York, and Dillon, South Carolina.

Belmont Mourns friends struck by fleeing driver, Charlotte Observer, February 23, 2012

Father talks about wreck that killed sons, Gaston Gazette, February 23, 2012

More Blog Posts:

Fatal North Carolina Truck Accident Brings Traffic to a Standstill, North Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Blog, February 13, 2012

Tragic North Carolina Car Accident Claims Life of a Child on Go-Kart, North Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Blog, November 6, 2011

Drunk driving a Factor in North Carolina Car Accident that Killed 17-Year-Old Raleigh Student, North Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Blog, January 31, 2012

Two Newton-Conover High School students were arrested last week after they were accused of assaulting a freshman while allegedly hazing him. All of the students involved belonged to the school’s wrestling team. Depending on what happened and the extent of the freshman’s injuries, he and his family could have grounds for a Catawba County, North Carolina personal injury case.

According to school superintended Barry Redmonds, the incident occurred last week. Team members were gathered in the practice room when someone turned out the lights while another team member put the freshman in a wrestling hold. That was when a third person allegedly assaulted him.

The student who held the freshman down claims and didn’t know that the assault was going to happen was suspended for three days. The other student who allegedly committed the assault was suspended for the rest of the semester and kicked off the wrestling team.

Hazing

If your son or daughter was involved in a hazing incident at school, you may want to speak with an experienced Newton personal injury law firm to find out about your legal options.

Hazing is sometimes used as an initiation practice for new members joining a group. It is most often associated with joining a college fraternity or sorority. However, other groups have been known engage in hazing.

Although considered by many to be in good fun, hazing can take a dangerous turn if the person that is the target gets hurt. Alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, and physical assault are just some of the more dangerous consequences of hazing gone awry. Death may even result.

The practice of hazing has been widely written about in the media lately in the wake of the death of a Florida A & M University student. Robert Champion Jr., who belonged to the marching band, died last month after he was allegedly hazed. According to one expert who looked at Champion’s final autopsy report, which was released this week, the 26-year-old student had sustained the type of muscle damage that is commonly associated with child abuse, extensive seizures, car accidents, and torture.

It was just last week that the medical examiner’s office called Champion’s death a homicide. His family will likely file a wrongful death lawsuit against the school.

Following Champion’s death, Bria Hunter, another Florida A&M University student, is suing the school for personal injury because says she too was brutally hazed by members of the marching band. Hunter claims that she sustained a cracked femur from the beating.

North Carolina Personal Injury

Schools can be held liable if students are injured while under their supervision. It is the responsibility of school officials to make sure that activities that take place do not place anyone at risk of serious injury or death. To determine whether you have grounds for a Newton, North Carolina personal injury case, you should contact the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo, LLP today.

Expert: Autopsy of Florida A & M drum major shows badly beaten muscles, CNN, December 22, 2011

2 NC High school wrestlers face hazing suspension, WRAL, December 20, 2011

More Blog Posts:

Former Penn State University Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky Hit with First Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, November 30, 2011

Charlotte, North Carolina Nursing Homes: Bringing Good Cheer to Your Loved Ones During The Holidays, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, November 20, 2011

North Carolina-Based Private Security Company Blackwater is Sued For Wrongful Death, Personal Injury, and War Crimes, North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog, December 10, 2007