North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, town members are trying to raise funds for Khari Clark-Hester, a 6-year-old girl who is paralyzed from the waist down after she suffered spinal cord and brain injuries during an auto crash on April 10.

Khari sustained these catastrophic injuries when the passenger side of the car she was riding in was hit by a pickup truck. Khari spent several weeks in intensive care at NC Children’s Hospital and was later moved to a rehabilitation center. Her mother and 2-year-old sister were also involved in the crash but are now both fine. Khari needs money to pay for a medical car seat, a wheelchair ramp outside their house, and other medical costs.

In North Carolina and South Carolina, our catastrophic injury lawyers can help you or your injured family member recover personal injury compensation from the negligent party to cover your losses and damages. Catastrophic injuries are often life changing accidents, and living with a TBI or an SCI can be very expensive.

Traumatic Brain Injury
A sudden trauma to the brain can cause a traumatic brain injury. While a mild TBI can result in temporary unconsciousness, headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision, a more person with a serious TBI may experience convulsions, seizures, permanent brain damage, or fall into a coma or brain death.

Spinal Cord Injuries
A severe blow that dislocates or fractures the spine can lead to a spinal cord injury. An SCI patient may experience loss of sensation, sexual dysfunction, respiratory problems, loss of movement, including paralysis, and other serious health problems.

Our North Carolina auto accident lawyers know how to prove that a negligent motorist or another liable party caused your catastrophic injuries. We will zealously pursue your recovery. Our personal injury lawyers have successfully obtained compensation for the families of minors seriously injured in auto crashes.

Community unites to help accident victim, The Daily Tar Heel, June 12, 2008

Town rallies for injured girl, The Chapel Hill News

Related Web Resources:

Spinal cord injury, MayoClinic

Traumatic Brain Injury

Continue reading "6-Year-Old North Carolina Girl Paralyzed in Car Crash Is Center of Local Fundraising Efforts" »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Car Accidents , Catastrophic Injuries , Injuries to Minors

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In Selma, North Carolina, approximately three dozen students sustained minor injuries on Wednesday in a bus accident on Highway 96. The school children were taken to local hospitals following the multi-bus accident.

Three school buses were involved in the motor vehicle collision, in which one bus rear-ended another. The driver of one of the buses sustained neck injuries. A parent of one of the children experienced a panic attack and also had to be taken to a hospital.

The school buses had come from Selma Middle School and Selma Elementary School.

Every day, more than 23 million elementary, middle school, and high school children ride school buses to and from school. At least 17,000 kids are injured in school bus accidents each year.

School bus drivers and the schools and bus companies that employ them are required to exert a reasonable duty of care to make sure that children who ride the buses are transported safely to and from school. If their failure to exercise this reasonable care causes a student on the bus or a student getting on/off the bus or walking near the bus to become injured, the bus driver, the school, and/or the bus company may be held liable for personal injury.

Bus accidents can result in serious injuries, including abrasions, internal injuries, burns, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and death.

Common kinds of injury accidents involving school buses include a bus colliding with another motor vehicle, a bus striking a pedestrian, a student sustaining injuries while getting on and off the bus, and bus rollovers. Causes of driver negligence can include speeding, carelessness, not paying proper attention (including talking on the cell phone or text messaging while driving), reckless driving, and drunk driving. The school or bus company’s hiring of unqualified bus driver and improper maintenance of the bus can also lead to bus crashes.

If your child was injured or killed in a bus accident in North Carolina or South Carolina, you should speak with a personal injury attorney who is experienced in dealing with bus accident cases.

Bus wreck injures students, News & Observer, November 9, 2007

27 kids injured in school bus crash, News14.com/AP, November 7, 2007

School bus injuries much higher than thought, MSNBC.com/AP, November 6, 2006

Related Web Resource:

School Bus Fatalities and Injuries, NCSBS.com

Continue reading "Dozens of North Carolina School Kids are Injured When School Buses Collide" »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bus Accidents , Injuries to Minors

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Two young boys were thrown from a van in South Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday when the van collided with a car. Police say that the boys, two brothers ages 7 and 6, were not buckled in properly by the driver of the van that was hired by Charlotte-Mecklenberg School to transport the boys to and from school. The police also think that the driver could have been speeding.

Gavin, 6, had to undergo facial surgery.

Statistics show that seatbelts save many lives and prevent many others from suffering from serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. Over 63% of people killed in motor vehicle collisions were not using seatbelts.

In North Carolina, any child younger than 8 years of age and weighing under 80 pounds has to wear a child restraint device that must be properly buckled. The CRD must meet federal standards of safety at the time it was manufactured.

Under the NC Child Passenger Safety Law, the driver of a motor vehicle is responsible for ensuring that a child younger than 16 is properly buckled up. Failure to do so can lead to penalties and personal injury liability if a child is injured or killed because he or she was not properly restrained.

Not only must children be buckled up, but their seatbelts must be secured properly.

• Children under 20 lbs and under age 1 should be placed in a rear-facing CRD.
• Children 1-4 years of age and weighing between 20-40 lbs should be placed in a forward-facing car seat.
• Children should not wear a regular seatbelt until they are the proper weight and age.
• Children 5-8 years of age should use a booster seat.
• Children 9-12 years of age can use a regular seatbelt. It is highly recommended that they sit in the backseat of a car.

Not properly restraining a child could result in the child sustaining serious injuries or dying.

Child Severely Injured After Being Thrown from a Van, WBTV.com, October 30, 2007

Buckling Up Is Not Enough To Protect Children In Auto Accidents; Seat Belts And Child Safety Seats Must Be Used Properly, Science Daily, June 8, 1999

Child Passenger Safety Law, Buckleupnc.org

Related Web Resources:

National Child Passenger Safety Board

Continue reading "6-Year-Old Thrown From Van In Charlotte, North Carolina Sustains Serious Injuries " »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Car Accidents , Injuries to Minors

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Friday that Simplicity is recalling 1 million cribs, some of them with the Graco label, after reports that three infants had become trapped, suffocated, and died in their defective cribs.

Reported deaths attributed to the cribs include:

• 9-month-old Liam Johns who died in a faulty crib in 2005.
• 6-month-old Edward Millwood who died in a Simplicity crib in November 2006.
• A 1-year-old died in a newer model that has not been recalled but is under investigation.

All three children were in cribs that had drop-rail sides that had been installed upside down. The error left a gap in the cribs where a child could fall into and suffocate.

At least seven other infants have gotten trapped in defective cribs. 55 incidents have been reported where the drop sides came off or did not hold to the cribs’ sides.

An attorney for Liam Johns said that it took the Consumer Product Safety Commission more than two years to respond to the complaint that the infant had died from a faulty crib.

Simplicity Inc. is the manufacturer of the cribs, all of which were made in China. This is the second largest crib recall since 1972. In another crib recall last June, the CPSC recalled 40,000 Nursery-in-a-Box cribs, also made by Simplicity. The recall was issued because the assembly instructions were incorrect.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following tips on choosing a crib and ensuring that it is safe for use:

• Look for Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) certification.
• The slats should be no more than 2-3/8 inches apart. Widely spaced slats can trap an infant's head.
• All joints and parts should fit tightly, and the wood must be smooth and free of splinters.
• Check for cracked and peeling paint. All surfaces should be covered with lead-free paint safe for nursery furniture.
• The end panels should be solid, without decorative cutouts. Cutout areas on panels can trap an infant's head.
• Corner posts should be flush with the end panels or else be very, very tall (such as posts on a canopy bed). Clothing and ribbons can catch on tall corner posts and strangle an infant.
• The lowered crib sides should be at least 9 inches above the mattress support to prevent the infant from falling out. Raised crib sides should be at least 26 inches above the mattress support in its lowest position.
• The drop sides should have a locking, hand-operated latch that will not release unintentionally.
• The mattress should be the same size as the crib so there are no gaps to trap arms, body, or legs. If you can fit 2 fingers between the mattress and the side of the crib, the crib should not be used.

Injury or death to an infant caused by a defective product is grounds for a products liability claim or a wrongful death lawsuit. Manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that their products are safe for use. Failure to do so can be grounds for a products liability case.

1 million Graco, Simplicity cribs recalled in U.S., MSNBC.com, September 21, 2007

Choosing a Crib, American Academy of Pediatrics

Related Web Resources:

About 1 Million Simplicity Cribs Recalled Due To Failures Resulting in Infant Deaths, CPSC.gov, September 21, 2007

Simplicity for Children

Continue reading "Graco and Simplicity Recall One Million Cribs After Crib Deaths" »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Injuries to Minors , Products Liability

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