Study Finds Shopping Cart Injuries to Children Still High: New York Personal Injury Lawyer Kenneth A. Wilhelm Comments
New York, N.Y (PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- Despite the implementation of a federal voluntary shopping cart safety standard in 2004, a new study published in January by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that that rate of injuries to children associated with shopping carts has not decreased. The study, published in the print issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics, examined data relating to children younger than 15 years of age who were treated in U.S. emergency departments between the years 1990 and 2011 for shopping cart-related injuries.
Of the 530,494 injured children who were documented during the study period, 24,000 children annually or 66 children per day were treated for shopping cart-related injuries, according to an article in Science Daily dated January 21, 2014. The article stated that falls from a shopping cart accounted for the majority of injuries, about 70.4 percent, followed by running into or falling over a cart, cart tip overs and entrapment of extremities in the cart. Children most commonly suffered head injuries in these incidents and in fact, the annual rate of concussions and closed head injuries increased by more than 200 percent during the study period, the article states.
New York personal injury lawyer Kenneth A. Wilhelm said the shopping cart safety standard, which is voluntary, is obviously not working. "The findings of this most recent study show that not only do the number of shopping cart injuries remain the same, but also, the number of head injuries relating to these incidents is actually increasing."
Wilhelm said these numbers demonstrate the need for prompt action to protect children by strengthening the shopping cart safety standards. "These standards must also be made mandatory so we're not giving stores an option, but require them to take steps, including implementing safer cart design changes that will help prevent shopping cart falls and tip over accidents."
Wilhelm also offers several useful tips for parents and caregivers to ensure that children are safe while riding a shopping cart:
• Place your child in a shopping cart only if you must. If your child can ride in a stroller or wagon or even walk, use the alternative.
• Make sure that the child is properly secured and use the straps to buckle up the child. If the cart you pick is broken or wobbly, get another cart.
• Do not place infant carriers on top of shopping carts.
• Do not allow your child to stand up or jump on a shopping cart. Children should not be sitting inside shopping carts. This is how many tip over accidents occur.
• Stay with the cart and your child at all times.
• Keep children away from the wheels where their fingers can get pinched or amputated.
About the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm
The Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm is a personal injury litigation firm with an unwavering dedication to its clients. With more than 42 years of experience, our firm strives to obtain the best compensation for those who have been injured or those who have lost a loved one due to an accident or by someone else's negligence. We handle cases dealing with personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, train accidents, workers' compensation, dental malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, rape, paralysis, comas, seizures, false arrest, lead poisoning, trips and slips and falls, falls on sidewalks or stairs, elevator accidents, construction accidents, Erb's palsy, cerebral palsy, brain damage, blindness, hearing loss, dog bite cases, fire and smoke inhalation accidents, bicycle accidents, falls from windows or scaffolds, food poisoning injuries, and many other types of accidents and injuries.
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Kenneth A. Wilhelm, The Law Offices Of Kenneth A. Wilhelm, http://www.work4youlaw.com, (212) 545-7373, [email protected]
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