Maine Injury Lawyer Blog

Many parents have embraced the Bumbo - a soft, foam seat that allows their infants to sit upright. However, consumer safety groups are now pleading with the U.S. federal government for a recall, following a number of child injuries in Maine and throughout the country.

An article recently ran in the Bangor Daily News about this very issue.

Our Bangor child injury attorneys understand that there have been nearly 100 reports of infants being hurt while using this product. That is only in the last five years, following a voluntary recall in 2007, when the manufacturer pulled all the seats from the shelves because there weren't adequate warning labels.

At that time, there were 46 injuries reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 14 of those cases, babies suffered serious head injuries.

After the recall, the South African manufacturer of the Bumbo seat agreed to print warning labels on the side of the seats, saying parents shouldn't put their children in the seats if they are on an elevated surface, like a desk or table.

But that apparently wasn't enough because after the recall, there have been 45 more children who fell out of the seat when it had been placed on a tall surface. Of those, 17 infants had skull fractures. Another 50 babies were said to have fallen out of the seat when it had been on the floor. Of those, one had a concussion and two others suffered head injuries.

Still, the government has given no indication that it will issue a recall, though one official from the safety commission admitted it seemed as if there were a large number of injuries. What's perhaps more confusing is that often times, recalls are issued when there haven't been any reports of death or injury. So why would the government hesitate to recall a product that has been proven to cause injuries to babies?

Even if there isn't a second recall, we believe this warrants parent attention - and perhaps avoiding use of this product, given its track record.

While some might argue the number of injuries is relatively small in comparison to the number of seats sold (about 4 million) you have to consider whether your child's safety is worth the risk.

The Bumbo seat is designed in such a way that it does not have straps or buckles or restraints. There are tray tables that are also available for purchase with these seats, but they are not meant to act as a securing device.

Manufacturers of the seat say it's safe when used as intended, and that parents should be nearby at all times. But there have been numerous reports of parents who HAVE been nearby, and their children were still seriously injured.

In one case, a father in Washington reported his son was seated in the Bumbo seat on the kitchen table. He was right next to him. The boy arched his back, and fell onto the kitchen floor, landing on his head. The baby boy had to be rushed to the hospital, and undergo emergency brain surgery for his injuries. While the child's parents are hopeful he will make a full recovery, they are still watching him closely for signs that he may have suffered permanent injuries.

Continue reading "Children in Maine Risk Injury in Bumbo Seats " »

Experts estimate that about 75 percent of child passengers are improperly restrained in car seats and booster seats. It is critical for parents to know how to properly buckle in child passengers and for them to do so during every car ride. Risk of child injury or death in the event of a car accident in Portland and elsewhere decrease by more than 70 percent if he or she is buckled in correctly.

Our Portland car accident attorneys understand that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new recommendations for children and car seats last year. Unfortunately, many parents did not seize these new recommendations and in fact continue to improperly seat their children in motor vehicles. To help to spread the word about child car seats, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) launched a new website to offer parents with access to important child passenger safety (CPS) tips.

The new website, "Car Seat Safety for Kids" offers newly released videos regarding the 2011 child seat recommendations from the AAP. In addition to educating parents about the proper ways to buckle children in, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists car seat inspection locations nationwide. There are 31 child car seat inspection locations in Maine. Parents are urged to visit one of these sites to help ensure that their children are safe when traveling in a motor vehicle.

The new recommendations from the AAP state that children under the age of 4 should remain in rear-facing car seats. Once a child has exceeded their car seat's height and weight limitations, they should be placed in a forward-facing car safety seat. It is important for children to stay in these rear-facing car seats for as long as possible.

When a child exceeds the size limits of a rear-facing car seat, it's time for them to move to a forward-facing seat. This seat should have a harness and children should be kept in these seats for as long as possible.

Once your child exceeds the height and weight limits for a forward-facing seat, it's time for them to move to a booster seat. Booster seats allow a small child to fit correctly with an adult seat belt. When riding in these seats, make sure that the bottom part of the seat belt fits snugly across your child's upper thighs and that the top part of it fits across the chest and not on the neck. Children riding in booster seats should always ride in the back seat of the car and away from an active air bag.

In Maine, two children under the age of 14-years-old died in car accidents in 2008.

Car accidents continue to be the number of cause of death for individuals aged 3- to 14-years old. Parents are urged to register their child's car seat and to sign up to receive notifications on car seat defects and recalls.

Continue reading "Car Accidents in Portland and Elsewhere Kill Too Many Child Passengers Annually" »

Get ready! Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend!

With the festivities revolving around the unofficial American holiday and our Patriots, drunk driving car accidents in Portland and elsewhere are sure to happen, unfortunately. That's why we're asking all football fans to go out with a plan. Make sure your party activities are planned out before kickoff to help avoid a drunk driving accident or arrest.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there will be more than 150 million football fans sitting in front of a television to catch the big game between the Patriots and the Giants. During this time, fans are expected to consume nearly 350 million gallons of beer. That's enough to fill about nearly 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Unfortunately, a lot of that booze will be consumed by fans who are planning on hopping behind the wheel of a motor vehicle after the game. And since the Patriots are in the big game, you can expect a lot of Maine residents to be a part of the celebrations.

Our Portland drunk driving accident attorneys understand that there were more than 10,000 people across the county who died in drunk driving-related traffic accidents in 2010. These types of accident fatalities accounted for nearly a third of all traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday -- ranked one of the most dangerous days of the year to be on the road -- about half of fatal accidents are the result of alcohol-impaired drivers. Football fans are reminded that officers will be out in full force over the weekend, combing the roadways for alcohol-impaired drivers. Do your part to cheer on our team responsibly by joining the 200,000 people who have already pledged to be a designated driver this season. These pledges were all made as a part of the "Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk" safety Campaign.

The "Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk" campaign coveys a message that responsibility has its rewards. Through this program, NFL teams constantly recognize those who have pledged to be a designated driver. That includes fans of the Patriots.

The Pledge Includes:

-Vowing to never drive drunk.

-Always find a designated driver when you go out drinking.

-Never offer alcohol to someone who is under the age of 21.

-Wear a seat belt during every car ride.

Maine's Bureau of Highway Safety encourages all football fans to have a safe and sober way to get home this Sunday. Those who are planning on drinking need to not plan on driving. A designated driver should be a part of everyone's plans who will be drinking, If for some reason a designated driver is not in your plans, we're hoping that a taxi, hotel or a friend's house are. We hope that everyone enjoys the big day and that the Patriots bring home a win!

Continue reading "Super Bowl Sunday Increasing Risks for Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Maine" »

We'd like to believe that everyone behind the wheel of a motor vehicle has the proper knowledge to operate the car, as well as the proper licensing and insurance to back it up. Unfortunately, a recent report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concludes that's not always the case.
car accident in Bangor and elsewhere does not have a proper driver's license. The new study examined crash stats from 2007 all the way through 2009 to determine just how big of a problem improperly licensed driving is in the U.S.

Our Bangor car accident lawyers understand that nearly 90 percent of drivers who were involved in fatal accidents from 2007 to 2009 on U.S. roadways had a valid driver's license. Unfortunately, the rest did not. When the statistics are broken down, more than 6.5 percent of drivers had a driver's license that was either suspended or was revoked, more than 1 percent of drivers had a driver's license that was either canceled or denied and a whopping 5 percent of drivers were completely unlicensed. This means that nearly 20 percent of drivers who were involved in a car accident in which a life was lost from 2007 to 2009 were not even allowed to be driving in the first place.

Between 2007 and 2009, nearly 21,100 people died in accidents in which the driver wasn't properly licensed. Recent statistics illustrate that the number of unlicensed drivers' involvement has been reducing, if not reversing, since 2007. Researchers don't know if this is a long-term trend, and will be continuing to keep an eye on the numbers.

Through this study, researchers determined that a driver's age has to do with his or her licensing, as well as involvement in fatal crashes. As a matter of fact, drivers aged 21 to 34 are more likely than drivers in any other age group to not be legally licensed. Statistics concluded that about half of the fatal accidents with unlicensed drivers, the driver was in that age group.

Unlicensed drivers aren't only common in fatal accidents, but they pop up quite frequently in alcohol-related and drunk driving car accidents as well.

Unlicensed drivers don't like to stick around at the scene of an accident either. The AAA study revealed that more than 51 percent of the people who left the scene of a fatal car crash from 2007 to 2009 were unlicensed drivers. When an unlicensed driver leaves the scene of an accident, you can probably assume he or she wasn't insured either. Drivers who are unlicensed oftentimes lack the proper car insurance.

Continue reading "Improperly Licensed Drivers Showering Roadways Increasing Risks for Car Accidents in Maine, Nation" »