Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for June, 2008

A Safe Summer Camp Requires a Well-Run Waterfront

Monday, June 30th, 2008

As previously reported in this blog, one of the leading causes of injuries and death to children are drownings and near-drownings. Accordingly, parents should be certain that the system established at the summer camp to which they are sending their children is adequate in concept, fully implemented and supervised appropriately. Basic elements of pool safety require the following:

1. Each child should be tested to determine the level of their swimming competence.

2. Each child should be identified with an armband or similar device to identify that child’s swimming capabilities. (e.g. non-swimmers should have a red arm band)

3. Everyone in charge of the child should know and understand the swimming competence of each child under their supervision whether the individual is a camp counselor or a lifeguard.

4. All children should be gathered together, before entering the pool for the first time, and all pool rules should be reviewed carefully to assure that each child understands the rules.

5. The pool should be separated to divide the shallow end (usually an area of 3’ or less) from the deep end.

6. Only lifeguards adequately certified in life-saving techniques should be permitted to serve in that capacity and counselors, although they may be on guard to watch their campers, when in the water, cannot be delegated the responsibility appropriately assigned to trained and certified lifeguards.

7. Counselors needs to be trained in their duties while the campers are in the water.

Posted in camp, drowning, lifeguards, pool safety, summer | Comments Off

Sending Your Child To Day Camp – Make Sure It Will Be A Safe Summer

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Many of our clients have selected day camps for their children to attend for all or part of the summer. Parents generally assume that the camps are well-operated and that safety is a primary concern. Unfortunately, camps frequently employ paraprofessionals and teenagers to take care of your children. These individuals may not have had any, or adequate training, in the care of children. Of particular concern is the adequacy of activities in which children are in danger of injury and the capabilities of the counselors and others, such as lifeguards, to assure that our children will be safe. We suggest that you obtain a set of the training materials provided to counselors and that you read those materials carefully. In the event that you feel that there are concerns that have not been addressed during the training programs, you should feel free to ask questions. Additionally, you should determine the organizations and associations that the camp to which you are sending your children belong. You should check with this association as well as with your local county and state agencies that license, govern and monitor camps to determine if the camp you are selecting for your child has been the subject of any complaint and whether any children have been injured due to a finding by a state or local agency of the negligence of that camp or its employees.

Posted in camp, lifeguards, pool safety, summer | Comments Off

Drownings of Children Under the Age of Five Increase

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

There is a reported increase in the average number of drowning deaths in pools and spas among children under five years of age elevating concerns of the use of cheap, inflatable pools that do not have the added safety measures of stationery pools with fences and alarms.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has revealed that the number of drowning deaths involving children younger than five years of age has increased from 267 for the time period of 2002 to 2004 to 283 for the period of 2003 to 2005. The majority of deaths and injuries occur in residential settings and involve children ages one to two years of age. Parents frequently assume that because the pool is inflatable, small and shallow that they do not have to protect children in the pool. However, vigilance is a necessity whenever children are near water. Moreover, the cover utilized for these inflatable pools is intended to keep debris out of the water but young children playing on the cover can get tangled in it and become injured or drown. Some states, like the Commonwealth of Virginia, have recently passed a pool and spa safety act which aims to promote general pool safety and prevent drowning deaths from entrapment in drains. By December 19, 2008 all pools have to have safety drain covers and, in certain circumstances, anti-entrapment systems to prevent against entrapment of hair in drains.

Parents should know that drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death in children, ages one to four, and that the number one defense against injury or death in a pool or spa is parental supervision. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and its Washington D.C. trial attorneys are experienced in representing individuals whose children suffered injuries or death as a result of drowning.

Posted in drowning, pool safety | Comments Off

Client Struck Down at Unifest Festival Receives Entire $250,000 Underinsured Motorist Payment

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. partner, Joseph Cammarata, Esq. successfully secured the settlement for $250,000, all of the insurance available, on behalf of our client, an individual struck down at the Unifest Festival. As many of you know, an individual high on drugs ran into a crowd at the Unifest Festival on June 2, 2007. The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. represents individuals injured as a result of the actions of this driver. The first of the claims in which the law firm has litigated has successfully settled for all of the available insurance. As always, we recognize that no amount of money can compensate an individual for injuries and damages sustained as a result of the wrongdoing of others, but we are nevertheless proud that within 60 days we were able to obtain all of the available insurance for our client.

Posted in dui | Comments Off

Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS).

Archives

Categories