Now that children are settling into the new academic year, ensuring the safety of your children becomes a top priority. Flaxman Law Group has worked with many families who have turned to our childhood injury claims attorneys in our Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood offices after an accident or injury at school. We’re passionate about helping prevent injury, which is why we’ve put together this list of tips to keep students safe all school year long.
Articles Tagged with school injuries
Florida’s Education Workers and Job-Related Injuries
Educators are the heroes who shape future generations. Their dedication to fostering knowledge and growth is invaluable, but it often comes with its own set of hazards because education workers face various risks in their line of duty. In fact, education workers face one of the higher risks of workplace injury.
Many education workers are protected by unions and are covered by workers’ compensation, but it doesn’t always mean they can easily get the rightful benefits they need to recover from a work injury or illness. Flaxman Law Group works with many education workers who need extra support in their workers’ compensation claims. If you’ve been injured in the workplace, you can always contact us for a free, no obligation consultation with a workers’ compensation attorney. Your confidential, free consultation is your chance to ask questions, find out whether you have a case, and discuss ways you may be able to maximize your benefits and compensation.
Common Childhood Injuries
Children and minors spend a lot of time learning, and sometimes that learning includes minor injuries. Children may fall from their bikes or get scrapes and scratches from playing in the yard.
However, many early injuries are serious—and entirely preventable. According to the CDC, about 20 children and teens die, on average, each day due to unintended and largely preventable injuries. In fact, injury is the leading cause of death for children and teens in this country.
Now That School is Back, Review Your Child’s Risks
School has been back in session for a bit, and it’s time to review how your child is doing. While we expect school to be safe, kids are injured each year when attending classes and taking part in school activities. Now that your child is settling in, here are some questions to ask:
Dorm and College Safety
College is a time for growth and freedom, and students are often excited about being on their own. Unfortunately, each year college students are seriously injured and even killed on campus. Sports injuries, slip and fall injuries, and traffic injuries tend to be most common. However, violence caused by hazing and assault also contributes to injuries on campus. In fact, 26.4% of women and 6.8% of men experience sexual violence as undergraduate students.
There are other forms of injury, too. Dorms are often older buildings and may have unsafe flooring, showers, stairways, and other building components. Head injuries, falls, fractures, burns, and other injuries can occur because of these problems. Even bedding provided by colleges has been called into question, after a study found that about 8,200 emergency room visits between 2006 and 2015 were linked to school bunk bed use.
Sports Safety Tips for The Fall
For student athletes, back to school means back to practices, tryouts, and games. It can also mean an increased risk of head injuries, soft tissue injuries, fractures, and other sports injuries.
If you have a student heading back to classes and back to a school or private sports program, here’s what you need to know to keep them safer:
Back to School Safety
With another school year about to begin for many students, it’s a good time to remember that tens of thousands of students are injured at school. And in fact, the first two months of school are the time when most injuries happen.
Fortunately, there is something parents can do. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk for your children:
Preventing Concussions in Youth Sports
In Weston, Miami, and other communities in Southern Florida, youth sports are an important and healthy part of childhood. Sports build discipline, encourage physical fitness, and provide many other physical, emotional, and even academic benefits.
Many sports also carry the risk of head injuries and concussions. While in the past many believed that concussions were less serious than traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), today there is growing evidence that all injuries to the head need to be treated seriously. It is now understood that repeated concussions, especially early in life, can have life-long effects.
Hollywood Playground Safety
Playgrounds in Hollywood, Florida should be a fun and safe place for children to play. Unfortunately, each year about half a million American children are injured on the nation’s playgrounds, according to the CDC (National Centers For Disease Control and Prevention).
Playground Injuries in Key Largo
Playgrounds are an important part of childhood, offering hours of playtime. They’re also important for developing fitness, large muscle groups, fine motor control, and social skills and some playgrounds also have sensory enrichment options. A few hours at the playground on a sunny Key Largo day should be part of childhood but unfortunately each year the legal team at Flaxman Law Group speaks with worried parents whose children have been injured when playing on playgrounds.