No More “Tears in Heaven” – Child Deaths Are Often Preventable
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 10:57 am
Recent headlines in the local news took me back to previous times in my life…
Have you heard the song “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton? In my opinion- one of the most touching songs I have ever heard. Do you know or remember the story behind the song?
In 1991 Clapton’s four year old son fell from an open window 53 stories to his death. The song “Tears in Heaven” was inspired by this tragedy- one way in which he dealt. I could never imagine bearing my soul in such a fashion to share my personal thoughts and feelings with the world regarding the loss of a child. Can you imagine?
Years earlier while still a medic, I responded to a child who fell three floors to his death. It was sad and tragic. It was preventable.
Recently two children in CT and one in PA fell from open windows- one died. These events are all preventable.
It’s hot, it’s miserable- open windows are often the only respite. In the case of Clapton’s son Connor, a cleaning person momentarily opened the window for cleaning. In mere seconds the worst, most unimaginable event took place. 53 stories. Four years old. Preventable.
This is one of many childhood deaths that take no time at all- drowning- including bath tub is another example. Following the Connecticut events at least one of the news shows discussed simple window guards sold at most hardware and home improvement stores. Low cost, quick and easy to install. If you rent- then speak to your landlord.
Please don’t be another headline- another statistic.
“Tears In Heaven”
Lyrics by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings
…
“Time can bring you down
Time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart
Have you begging please, begging please.
Beyond the door, there’s peace I’m sure,
And I know there’ll be no more
Tears in Heaven.”
…
Beware of Falling Furniture
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 11:11 am
Be honest. Most of us do not consider the furniture in our homes or even the television to be dangerous to our children. The kids run and play and laugh and occasionally knock over a chair or bump into a desk or fall off the furniture but that seems to be the extent of our worry when it comes to furniture. Well according to a new study furniture related injuries are on the rise and if your kids are anything like mine, we have some work to do.
According to the study conducted by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission, most furniture tip-over-
related injuries occurred among children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from televisions tipping over. More than one quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture. Children ages 10-17 years were more likely to suffer injuries from desks, cabinets or bookshelves tipping over. Head and neck injuries were most common among younger children, while children older than 9 years were more likely to suffer injuries to the lower body.
Despite warnings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of injuries involving televisions and other furniture tipping over onto children has increased in this country since the early 1990s.
“There was a more than 40 percent increase in the number of injuries during the study period, and the injury rate also significantly increased during these years,” said study senior author Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “This trend demonstrates the inadequacy of current prevention strategies and underscores the need for increased prevention efforts.”
So what can we as parents do? Parents can minimize risks to children by placing televisions low to the ground and near the back of their stands and strapping televisions and furniture to the wall with safety straps or L-brackets. Purchasing furniture with wide legs or with solid bases, installing drawer stops on chests of drawers and placing heavy items close to the floor on shelves will also help prevent tip-overs. Additionally, parents can reduce a child’s desire to climb furniture by not placing attractive items, such as toys or the remote control, high on top of furniture or the television.
Caregivers and even those of us in the emergency medicine field should be aware that furniture tip-overs are an important source of childhood injury and that education geared towards simple prevention steps will decrease the number of injuries to children associated with furniture tip-overs.”
IKEA High Chairs Recalled Due to Fall Hazard
Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 11:21 am
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada has announced a recall of IKEA ANTILOP High Chairs due to a problem with the high chair’s belt buckle which can unlatch unexpectedly and potentially cause a child to fall out of the chair. So far there have been eight reports of falls due to the unexpected opening of the belt buckle and three of those children sustained minor injuries as a result of falling.
IKEA has voluntarily recalled the ANTILOP High Chairs to prevent further falls and to repair the problem with the buckles. The recalled high chairs were sold in IKEA stores nationwide from August 2006 through January 2010 for about $20.
ANTILOP high chairs sold with red, blue or white plastic high chair seats with detachable silver-colored metal legs and manufactured between 0607 and 0911 (YYMM format) from supplier number 17389 are included in the recall. Look underneath the seat for the production date and supplier number, which are molded into the underside of the seat. A label on the underside of the seat has the words “ANTILOP,” “IKEA” and the model number.
The following model numbers are included in this recall:
IKEA ANTILOP high chair blue Model # 701.467.92
IKEA ANTILOP high chair red Model # 501.467.93
IKEA ANTILOP high chair white Model # 300.697.24
If you own one of these high chairs, you should immediately stop using it and contact IKEA to obtain a free replacement seat restraint.
For additional information, contact IKEA toll-free at (866) 966-4532 anytime, or visit the firm’s website at www.ikea-usa.com.
Home Treadmill Hazards for Kids – Expect the Unexpected
Last updated on September 4th, 2015 at 08:51 pm
We had a holiday open house on New Year’s Day: several families from the neighborhood, school and Cub Scouts – with mulled wine and hot chocolate to chase away the winter blues. It was a lot of fun, but my son was disappointed that none of his best friends could make it. In fact, no boys came – only girls. Despite this initial set back, the kids started to mingle – aided by a few activities and the display of newly acquired Christmas presents. Before I even had a chance to worry about boredom setting in, the kids had migrated downstairs to the TV/playroom to watch a holiday movie.
Things in the basement went well for some time – confirmed by occasional checks. But near the end of the festivities they must have gotten antsy – and we heard some loud crashes and telltale wails. The basement also has a workout area and – despite a long-standing restriction on unsupervised use – they had started to play on our treadmill.
Somehow Elliott ended up with a big friction burn on his shoulder from the treadmill belt – and one of the younger girls had fallen off and banged her head. Apparently these are common types of childhood injuries involving motorized treadmills. About.com reports that some friction injuries have been so bad that occasionally children have required skin grafts or plastic surgery!
I felt terrible that this happened – and at our house. That said, the girl’s mother informed me that they have a home treadmill too – and she’s also been told not to use it. Somehow power and curiosity overcame the parental restrictions. But apparently this situation isn’t uncommon. The Australian government became so concerned about home treadmill injuries to kids that in 2008 they issued a product safety alert and began a public awareness campaign. The key recommendations for parents are to place the treadmill in a separate room that children can’t access – or surround the machine with child barriers to ensure that they don’t try to touch or climb on the machine when it’s in use, which can happen before you notice. Even a short duration of contact can result in injuries to little ones. About.com provides additional guidance on home treadmill safety measures to minimize potential hazards.
Treadmill Safety Bypass!
Of course, fitness equipment like treadmills also comes with built-in safety features. There’s usually a safety clip and cord that should be worn by the user while running. If the runner stumbles or falls the clip disengages and the belt stops. Additionally, the machine won’t start without the safety clip in place – which is key to securing the machine from unsupervised use by children. However, kids can be very ingenious….our son realized that the clip attached to the machine via a magnet – and determined that he could bypass the clip using the magnetized crane winch from his Thomas the Tank Engine train set! Even your best safety plans can be undermined by the curiosity of kids. In cases like this, what is a parent to do?? Certainly, consequences for disobeying the restriction on using the treadmill can help – but I think the pain of his injury was a stronger lesson. I just hope he doesn’t always have to learn the hard way.
Halloween Pumpkin Carving Safety Tips
Last updated on October 6th, 2015 at 01:10 am
Halloween is a fun time of costumes, candy, and carving of pumpkins. Unfortunately, one little slip and that fun could be over and you might be rushing to the emergency room.
Accidental lacerations and puncture wounds to the hands and fingers are common injuries seen in emergency rooms around the country during this time of year due to Halloween pumpkin carving. Some of these injuries require surgery and months of rehabilitation, such as the injury Brad Gruner, starting quarterback for the University of New Mexico, suffered last Halloween when he sliced a tendon in the pinkie of his throwing hand and was out for the rest of the season.
If you’ve ever carved a pumpkin before, you know from experience how slippery and tough they can be. It is all too easy for a knife to slip or for it to go through the skin and out the other side where your other hand might be holding it steady. Do yourself (and your family) a favor and follow a couple of safety tips this year to prevent an accident.
Leave the carving to the adults. Kids under the age of 14 should not do the actual carving or cutting. They can draw on the pumpkin the design they want it to have but let an adult carve it.
Use special pumpkin carving tools instead of kitchen knives. Pumpkin carving kits are easy to find in most stores in the weeks before Halloween. These tools are usually smaller, less sharp, and easier to control than a kitchen knife and less likely to cause a laceration or puncture wound. Make sure to use a well-lit, stable, dry surface to work on. Keep hands and tools clean and dry to minimize slips. While carving, leave the top on so you don’t stick your hand inside the pumpkin and risk cutting it.
Decorate your pumpkins without carving them. There are many ways to decorate a pumpkin that do not require risking an injury. Kids can use markers, paint, and even glue on embellishments to create a fun or scary pumpkin design.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Sources:
Safe Halloween pumpkin carving
Halloween Safety Tips That Are No Trick
Hand Surgeons Warn of Pumpkin Carving Dangers
NCHS Red Light Safety Camera Campaign can save lives
Last updated on September 4th, 2015 at 10:00 pm
Keeping our families safe on the road is a very important task that we undertake as parents. We drive carefully, keep our cars in tip-top shape, and make sure everyone is buckled in safely on each and every trip. Unfortunately, we can’t control what other drivers on the road are doing. We must rely on the police and essential safety equipment, such as red light safety cameras, to help keep us safe.
A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that 113,000 people were injured and 676 were killed in crashes that involved red-light running in 2009 – two-thirds of the victims were pedestrians, bicyclists and occupants of vehicles hit by the red-light runners.
The study also showed that red-light safety cameras helped save more than 150 lives in 14 of the biggest U.S. cities from 2004 to 2008. Had the cameras been operating in all 99 U.S. cities with populations more than 200,000, more than 800 lives could have been saved.
Each time we enter an intersection, our families are at risk of becoming the victim of an accident – whether on foot or in a vehicle. Red light safety cameras help to change driver behavior and reduce the risk to our loved ones, however many people are unaware just how valuable these cameras are to those on the road.
The National Coalition for Safer Roads has created a powerful video, showing just how tragic the consequences of running a red light can be.
You can find the National Coalition for Safer Roads on their website, Twitter and Facebook pages, for more information about this important initiative.
