Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says auto accidents and fall accidents are the leading causes of accidental teen and child injuries and deaths in this country.

Facts included in the CDC’s report:

• 9.2 million teenagers and children a year are treated in US emergency rooms for accidental injuries.
• 2.8 million teens and young kids are injured in fall accidents annually.
• Over 50% of the nonfatal injuries involving kids younger than 1 occurred during fall accidents.
• About 8,000 minors are killed each year in traffic accidents as pedestrians, vehicle occupants, and pedalcyclists.
• 12,175 people under age 20 die in the US every year because of accidental injuries.
• Approximately 20 kids die every day because of an injury that could have been prevented.
• Some 20 million kids and young adults sustain injuries each year that limit their activity and require medical care.

Leading causes of injury deaths, according to age group:

• Infants – suffocation
• Ages 1 to 4 – drowning
• Ages 5 to 19 – traffic crashes

In addition to fall accidents, other leading causes of nonfatal injuries to kids include:

• Animal bites
• Insect bites
• Getting hit by or falling against an object

Children in the 1 – 4 age group were most likely to suffer nonfatal injuries in fall accidents or due to accidental poisoning. According to CDC Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention Director Grant Baldwin, many of these injuries can be predicted and are preventable.

Many times, these injuries occur while a child or teen is engaged in everyday activities, such as riding in a car, walking to school, or swimming in the neigborhood pool. Such injuries are often caused by reckless motor vehicle drivers, careless property owners, negligent product manufacturers, careless dog owners, or other responsible parties.

Car Crashes, Falls Top List of Accidental Injuries for Kids, US News, December 10, 2008

Childhood Injury Report, CDC

Related Web Resources:

Children Traffic Safety Fact Sheet, NHTSA (PDF)

World Health Organization

Continue reading "Car Crashes and Fall Accidents are Leading Causes of Accidental Deaths and Injuries to Minors in the US, Says CDC" »

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Bus Accidents , Car Accidents , Dog Attacks , Injuries to Minors , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Pedestrian Accidents , Premises Liability , Products Liability , Truck Accidents , Wrongful Death

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As part of its push to keep motorists and pedestrians safe over the holiday season, the Oregon State Police is increasing its DUI enforcement efforts. Their actions are part of a 20-day national crackdown on drunk drivers and runs from December 13 though the New Year. State and local police will also be on high alert for Oregon DUI drivers beginning 6pm on Christmas Eve through Sunday at midnight.

Oregon Governor Kulongoski, who declared December “Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness” month, has reminded drivers that driving with a buzz is driving while impaired—a leading cause of motor vehicle fatalities in the state. Last year, 18 people died in Oregon drunk driving accidents over the holiday season.

Meantime, a recent national study confirms that the number of fatalities due to drunk drivers increases around Christmas and New Year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that from 2002 – 2006, alcohol was a factor in 4 out of 10 motor vehicle deaths that occurred during the last two weeks of December. Also, drivers 21 – 24 years of age are more likely to be involved in a deadly alcohol-related motor vehicle accident than other motorists.

The Oregon Department of Transportation Safety Division’s Impaired Driving Program Manager Gretchen McKenzie has a number of suggestions for how drivers can keep themselves and others safe this holiday season:

• Don’t drive if you’ve had anything to drink.
• Make sure that there is a designated driver.
• Don’t let anyone who has been drinking get behind the wheel of the car.
• Consider taxis, public transportation, or a car service as alternative modes of transportation.
• Make sure you and your passengers are wearing seat belts.
• Call 911 if you see a drunk driver on the road.

Of course, it is important that motorists drive sober throughout the year. Last year, the NHTSA says 12,998 people died in alcohol-impaired auto crashes in the US.

Anyone who drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs is breaking the law and may be charged for Oregon DUI crimes. Victims injured by a DUI driver may also have grounds to file an Oregon personal injury claim for damages.

Governor proclaims December “Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness” month, Oregon.gov, December 1, 2008

State police beef up drunk-driver patrols, The Register-Guard, December 23, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Alcohol Impaired Driving 2007 Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA (PDF)

DUI Laws in Oregon, United States DUI Laws, DUI Driving Laws

Continue reading "To Prevent Oregon DUI Accidents, OSP Steps Up Drunk Driver Patrols Over the Holiday Season" »

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Bus Accidents , Car Accidents , Motor Vehicle Accidents , Motorcycle Accidents , Pedestrian Accidents , Truck Accidents , Wrongful Death

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Police in Oregon are investigating a school bus accident in which Austin Takacs, 11, died while trying to catch the bus in Oregon City. The sixth grader was running next to the school bus, which had left the bus stop, when he tripped on his bag and fell into the road. Takacs, who was struck by the bus’s rear tires, was pronounced dead less than one hour later at St. Charles Mercy Hospital.

Austin’s mother, Nancy, students on the bus, and a few neighbors witnessed the catastrophic accident. The school bus driver, 67-year-old Rita Grivanos, told Oregon police that she did not see Takacs.

A police report, however, indicates that a number of the students on the bus called out to Grivanos that the boy was running next to the vehicle, but she may not have heard them. The bus was moving at approximately 5mph when it struck Takacs.

No citations have been filed against Grivanos, who collapsed after the tragic accident and was treated at St. Charles hospital. A 2006 evaluation rated the 67-year-old driver as “outstanding” and she has regularly received high performance marks for doing her job.

Grivanos is expected to be back at work shortly. Oregon City Schools Superintendent Mike Zalar says the school district did not play a role in causing the crash.

School Bus Accidents
About 17,000 children are treated in US emergency rooms each year for injuries they sustained in bus crashes. Common causes of school bus accidents include driver negligence, inadequate safety measures, defective bus and bus parts, dangerous roads, poor weather conditions, and poorly maintained buses.

Injuries that can be sustained in school bus accidents include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, and death. School kids can also get hurt while riding a bus even if a traffic collision does not occur. Cuts and bruises can occur to kids roughhousing on the bus—especially when there is a lack of supervision—or from slip and fall accidents when getting on or off the bus.

If your son or daughter was injured in an Oregon school bus accident while riding the bus, getting on or off the bus, crossing the street as a pedestrian, or riding as a passenger in another vehicle, it is important that you explore your legal options as soon as possible.

Grief weighs heavily on boy's family in fatal Oregon bus accident, Toledo Blade, October 23, 2008

Boy, 11, killed trying to catch bus in Oregon, Toledo Blade, October 16, 2008

Related Web Resources:

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

New Federal Rule to Make School Buses Safer, DOT.gov, October 15, 2008

Continue reading "Police Continue to Investigate Accidental Death of 11-Year-Old Boy Run Over by Oregon City School Bus" »

Posted by Matthew D. Kaplan | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bus Accidents , Injuries to Minors , Motor Vehicle Accidents

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