Attorney Blog

6 Teens Injury in Roll Over Accident

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)15201 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Car Accidents remain the leading cause of death for Teens. What can we do ? We can continue to drive with our kids under all weather conditions. We can restrict time on the road. We can control the number of passengers allowed in our Teens car while he is driving. Parents Need to Get Involved in order to drastically reduce this staggering statistic.

5 Steps to Keep Kids from Drowning

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)14286 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST

Summer is coming. I know it is the end of June, but swimming pool whether will be here by July 4. Safekidsct has posted a fantastic webpage that deals with safety in and around the pool. The neatest idea is a water watcher card. This card states that the adult will not leave the pool area while children are in the water. Corny...maybe....safe .....yes!

Teen Law and Parental Responsibility

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)14169 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST

Teen Laws for the Y Generation and Parental Responsibility Laws of the X Generation are constantly changing. Some laws have been relaxed, while other laws have become much more restrictive. This blog looks at the law as it is now and discusses what changes we may see in the future for teens and their parents. See Blog Now

Sexting

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)11859 — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:00:00 EST

It is known as "Sexting." Often middle school girls and boys send nude photos and/or explicit emails to each other over their cell phones or on MySpace. Up to now, prosecutors have used child pornography laws, the very laws designed to help protect children, to prosecute these kids. These are serious felony laws carrying stiff prison terms.
These kids need our help. They do not need to be prosecuted under child porn laws that were designed for a different and much more dangerous predator.
Again, common sense is no where to be seen. As a state, we need to have the Connecticut Legislature address the issue of "sexting." While this is inappropriate (I myself have teenage girls and boys), we need to create sensible laws that fit the crime. We need to create programs that will address these problems head on. This may not be a courtroom issue.
But stop.
If your child has been the subject of repeated sexual harrassment and you have tried conventional avenues, call me.

Unfair Drug Companies Win in Autism/Vaccine Case

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)11800 — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:00:00 EST

A Federal Claims Court has struck a deadly blow to parents seeking compensation for vaccines that they believe lead to their child's autism. The special vaccine court ruled against parents with autistic children saying that vaccines are not to blame for their children's neurological disorder. The court stated that they found no scientific proof that there was a legal connection between the claims of autism and vaccines. This is a slap in the face to parents with autistic children. The Federal Compensation Fund was created to help parents of autistic children receive compensation from drug manufactures who at one point included mercury as part of widely used vaccines. I agree in part with the statement issued by the Autism Society of America that the science of autism causes and treatments need to be more vigorously researched and that individuals living with autism need help today. However, I believe that the medical community needs to stand up to large drug manufacturers. Independent research should not be swayed by money and power. Like all families affected by autism, these families deserve to be heard and the truth about these vaccines needs to come to light. Parents should not give up hope.

April 25 is Prescription Drug Disposal Day in Southington

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)10984 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST

Every Year Kids Die form Prescription Medication. On April 25 - Southington is conducting a Medication disposal program — The Southington Water Department, in conjunction with local volunteers, will be hosting a free medication disposal program for town residents, Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the SWD Headquarters, 605 West Queen St., Southington. This free event is an opportunity to clean out medicine cabinets and bring all expired and unwanted medication for proper disposal, including prescription, vitamins, over-the-counter and veterinary. All medicine will be disposed of properly by incineration and no medicine will be reused or resold. Also, thermometers, needles or medical waste of any type will not be accepted. Proper disposal of unused medicine in crucial. You might consider these steps for destruction along with the ones suggested below.

All medicines returned should be in the original bottle with the name and address of the patient crossed off with a permanent marker, which will be available at the event. Leave the name of the medication visible for the pharmacist's review. A law enforcement officer will be in attendance per state and federal laws. Participants will be asked a few general questions, such as town of residence and why the medication is no longer wanted; no personal information will be requested.

For more information, contact Tom West, superintendent of the SWD or Water Commissioner John C. Dobbins at (860) 628-5593.

Safe Kids Connecticut

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)10804 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST

Today I attended a fantastic meeting of a state group run through the CCMC. The group is call Conecticut Safe Kids. It is run by Karen Brock. The group gets together regularly to discuss and promote prevention of childhood injuries. The topic presented today was the prevention of sports injuries. In addition to talks, the group conducts bike rodeos and child safety seat checks and programs. There will be a child safety seat program at the Southington Target on May 16, 2009. Check out their websiet at ctsafekids.org

Support the Southington YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)10553 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST

The Firm is proud to be involved with the Southington YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign. Through this fund raising effort the Y will send kids to camp, provide day care, and offer memberships for families in need. The goal is to raise $260,000. This is a great program and we encourage the community to become involved.

How Likely is Child Death through Injury In Connecticut: Are we doing all we can ?

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)10489 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

Every year 3500 children die in traumatic accidents across the country. Parents.com reports that Connecticut is one of the safest states for kids and has the second lowest death rate in the country. Injuries mostly occurr in high pedestrian zones with unmarked crosswalks. Failure to wear safety helmets also can result in serious injury. We are optomistic that Connecticut can continue to educate parents and maintain the distinction of remaining one of the safest states for children.

A Danger at the Public Pool

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9899 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

The National Swimming Pool Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes aquatic education states that 80% of the country's 300,000 public pools are in violation of a new federal safety rule aimed at keeping people from becoming trapped in underwater drains. This is unacceptable. However, many public pools that are trying to comply with the new law are finding that the required drain covers are unavailable. It is unclear if the law will be strictly enforced. We will continue to monitor this important new law. To read more, read click here.

Playground Accidents Frequent

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9790 — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

Playground accidents are becoming more and more frequent. While most accidents are simple cuts and scrapes, some injuries can be life threatening. Check out this video on youtube from the injury free coalation for kids. It is informative. If your child has been injured on a playground, call me for a free case evaluation.

Children and Trauma

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9624 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST

Help dealing with children who have suffered trauma in car accidents

Yale-New Haven Hospital offers excellent suggestions and resources for helping children who have suffered trauma. They advise:

Children cannot sustain emotional pain for long periods of time. Remove them from the trauma scene to a secure environment as soon as possible.
Do not reject their emotions - Children may have unexpected reactions to trauma which may not always include tears.
Do not tell them how to feel or how not to feel.
While this might seem backwards it is suggested by professionals to allow the child to comfort you.
Be patient—they may need to ask the same questions over and over.
Maintain order and stability in the child’s life.

In addition you might consider locating a grief counselor who has worked with children - one highly recommended source is the Cove of CT.

Cheerleader Injuries

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9475 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

In a controversial opinion the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Cheerleading is a contact sport. In Wisconsin, participants in a contact sport cannot sue each other for negligence. The court dismissed the case brought by a cheerleader who was injured when she was dropped by a teammate. You can read the entire article at ESPN news. It is not certain that Connecticut will follow this Wisconsin ruling.

In Connecticut school officials have what is known as qualified immunity from being sued. If the actions of a school official are discretionary, then the law protects the teacher or other school official. However, Connecticut has a law which states that a teacher or administrator is not immune where they subject an identifiable person to imminent harm. What does this mean? It means that the law is cloudy when it comes to school injuries. If your child is injured in school and you would like to know if you have a case, call us.

The ABCs of School Safety

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9418 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Safety in school begins with parents. Parents should try to get to know their children's friends. Parents can often cut off a problem before it happens by having their child steer clear of other children who may be having anger or other problems. Bullying is a major concern. Kids in numbers and groups can dramatically cut down on the chances of being bullied. Finally, it is a fine line trying to teach our kids how to be friendly and also to be safe. Try to get to know the school staff with your children so that everyone knows who belongs on school property and who does not.

Not So Funny Video Accidents

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)9398 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Here is a video on You Tube that says these are funny accident clips. You be the judge.

Cellular phones: Convenient, but dangerous

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)8977 — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Cell phones are quickly becoming ubiquitous among American schoolchildren. Marketing research firms estimate that 54% of children ages 8-12 will have cell phones by the end of 2009. While cell phones have become a convenience for parents and children, this convenience has also created a hazard. A recent study found that it took children talking on a cell phone 20% longer to begin crossing the street than those not on a cell phone. In addition, these children were 43% more likely to be hit by, or come close to being hit by a vehicle. Further, the cell phone using children looked both ways 20% fewer times before crossing the street and gave themselves less time to cross safely in front of oncoming traffic. Whether operating a vehicle or walking across a street, both driver and pedestrian must remain undistracted in order to ensure everyone's safety.

Negligence or Accident: Girl Hung on Playground Equipment

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)8909 — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

Not every injury is caused by negligence. There are true accidents. In order to recover compensation, the injury or death must be caused by negligence. In other words, someone must be found responsible for the injury or death. In the case of the 11 year old girl who was recently found hung on a playground gym, it may be that no particular person was responsible, and that the injury was truly an unfortunate accident. The law only requires those who caused an accident to pay for the damages suffered by the person they may have injured. The law does not allow a recovery where there is a true accident. If you believe that your child's injuries were not an accident but were caused by a person who failed to live up to their responsibility, then call us and we can evaluate your case.

Car Accidents Kill More Kids Than All Diseases Combined

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)8523 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

The Center for Disease Control reports that car accidents in the United States take the lives of more children than all diseases combined. They estimate over 12,000 kids die in auto related crashes each year. These statistics tell the story: it is time to start putting more resources into educating adults on the simple prevention techniques that they can use to save lives. Many more children would live each year if placed in a car seat. More still by enforcing seat belt laws. Restricting Teen Driving would also dramactically cut down of fatal accidents.

Tragic Irony: Promoter Crushed by Monster Truck one week following Boy's Death at a Monster Truck Event

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)8512 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

Just days after the death of a youth at a Tacoma Monster Truck Show, the promoter who stated that the events were safe was himself killed by a Monster Truck. The second tragic Monster Truck accident was captured on video. It is time to call on lawmakers to look into the safety of these events so that a family's night of sport is not turned into a night of unforgettable horror.

Promoter Says Show Must Go On Despite Horrific Death of a Child

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (Blog Author)8240 — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

In a recent and tragic event, a 6-year old boy was killed when he was struck by flying debris while watching a Monster Truck Show. Apparently, a large chunk of one of these giant trucks while doing donuts in the arena went flying into the grandstand striking the young boy in the head. The death is horrible. Greatly disturbing is the response time of the medical personnel who were present and the apparent callousness of the promoter in failing to immediately stop the event. Witnesses apparently reported that they had to throw paper cups at medics on the scene to get their attention as no one immediately responded to the injured boy. In addition the promoter, while lamenting the accident and promising increased inspection, allowed the evenings show to continue and did not cancel any other of the truck shows at the arena. In weighing whether or not the "show must go on," against canceling a show out respect for the family, the promoter came down on the side of the Monsters.

Sheffy to Handle Lockup Suicide Case on Part of the Children of the Victim who Demand Answers

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (News Author)8776 — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:00:00 EST

The children of a father who committed suicide while in the custody of the New Britain Police have retained Attorney Sheffy to represent the Estate and the Family in the investigation of what would seem to have been a preventable death. Updates on the investigation into this tragic case will follow.

this is a news artilce

blog@www.sheffylaw.com (News Author)6377 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

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