Tampa Bay Injury Law Blog » child injury advocate

Father shakes child to Death

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:54:53 +0000

Jeff Spohn of Land O Lakes was charged last week with first degree murder of his 18 month old daughter that he said had died from a head injury back in mid 2007 at his Wesley Chapel home. When investigation finally tested the young girl’s body, the trauma was not as described by Spohn. Spohn, who is 33, was indicted last week in Pasco by a grand jury. Shaken-baby syndrome, Pasco sheriff’s office spokesman Kevin Doll has said about the death. Upon further review of the body, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office determined over the summer that Ryanne’s death was a homicide. It was determined that Ryanne died of cerebral trauma, the result of a battering as stated by Hillsborough County Associate Medical Examiner Leszek Chrostowski. Physician Randall Alexander also found that the force of Ryanne’s injuries were not as what Jeff has stated in his report.

Escalator Dangers and Risks to Children

James Dodson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:18:46 +0000

One of Atlanta’s major airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, has taken action to make the public more aware of the dangers posed by escalators to airport visitors, especially children. Airport officials announced on August 11, 2008, that a public service bulletin would be broadcast throughout the airport every five minutes warning visitors of the potential dangers escalators pose.

Hartsfield-Jackson officials decided to take action following three separate incidents over the previous two months in which children, wearing soft-sided shoes or Crocs™, were injured when their shoes were caught in the escalators. This change in policy comes several months after the Consumer Product Safety Commission released its latest bulletin regarding escalator dangers and tips on how to avoid them.

This danger is real in the Tampa Bay area, as many professional buildings and malls have escalators. There was a serious case in 2002 where a young girl lost several fingers in an escalator at a St. Petersburg Dillard’s. As a personal injury attorney and child safety advocate, I encourage parents to heed these precautions and be vigilant when riding the escalators with their children.

Three-Year Old Drowns in Community Pool

James Dodson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:48:32 +0000

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reports that a 3 year old child drowned in a community pool at Forest Green Mobile Home Park in Hudson last Sunday evening.

The St. Petersburg Times reports the incident is still under investigation, due to the fact that there were at least seven other swimmers in the pool, when the child drowned. The Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Doug Tobin, commented that the parties involved believed someone else was watching the child.

Drownings are tragic, even more so when they involve a child. My associate Sean Conahan, a strong child safety advocate, and myself regularly represent injured children. Sean recently wrote an article for his Hispanic clients titled “Protegiendo a los niños en la piscina,” published in the July 2008 edition of Mi Barrio Latino, a Pinellas County magazine.

About James W. Dodson, P.A.

At The Law Office of James W. Dodson, P.A., has over 28 years of combined experience handling Florida child injury cases and lawsuits. We also understand that every client is unique and that each wrongful death l awsuit will have a unique set of circumstances to consider.

Child Safety Course Requirement Goes Into Effect for ATV Riders in Florida

James Dodson — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:02:44 +0000

On July 1, 2008, Florida Statute 261.20 went into effect requiring children ages 6 through 16 who wish to ride either ATV’s or dirt bikes, off-road on public land in the State of Florida to carry proof of completion of an off-highway vehicle safety course.

According to a recent tampabay.com article notifying the public of the law change, ATV accidents have killed or injured many children. Citing 2006 statistics, the article reported that according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 111 children under the age of 16 died while riding ATV’s, while the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles cited 771 ATV crashes in 2006.

In fact as recently as June 24, of this year, a colleague and fellow child safety advocate, David Wolf reported on the death of a 9-year old Bradford County Florida boy who died after the ATV on which he was a passenger crashed in Baker County.

Although one cannot say with any certainty whether a safety course would have changed the circumstances of the young boy from Bradford County, since he was not the operator of the ATV and only a passenger, certainly any law designed to protect our children, even if the law has some flaws, should be a good thing.

Adults (actually 16 years and older) need licenses to operate motor vehicles and now anyone under 21 must take a safety course to operate a motorcycle or scooter, it follows logically that children take a safety course before operating an ATV or dirt bike on public land. Note that the law does not affect riders on private property.

About this Law Firm

James W. Dodson, P.A., is a Tampa based Bike accident lawyer.