Atlanta Personal Injury Attorneys Support New Campaign to Prevent Child Heat Stroke in Vehicles

July 30, 2014

Our community was the subject of national media this past summer when a child died after suffering heat stroke in a car. The four-year-old Cobb County boy died when his father allegedly forgot to drop the boy off at daycare on the way to work. While this type of mistake might seem unimaginable, parents overwhelmed by distractions and stress sometimes make horrific mistakes. The USA Today reports that more than 500 children have lost their lives after being left in a vehicle in extreme heat during the last 14 years.

Admittedly, this is not necessarily a personal injury issue unless it happens to your child when in the care of a babysitter, friend, neighbor or other person who agrees to temporarily care for your child. However, Montlick and Associates is firmly committed to preventing injuries to children. Our Atlanta Personal Injury Atorneys' committment to helping families prevent injuries is why we are actively involved in many child safety programs in the community that include but are not limited to the following:

The loss of a child under any circumstances is devastating for a parent, but the anguish parents feel when their child dies is even more painful when it is the result of a preventable mistake by the parent. Our law firm lauds the efforts of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal in launching the “Look Again” campaign last month to help educate the public and prevent such tragedies in the future. The program is designed to encourage parents and caregivers to develop the habit of looking into the back seat of their care before exiting their vehicle. During the past four years, almost ten children have died from heat exposure after being left in a vehicle in Georgia.

These types of tragedies are more prone to happen when one of the parents is supposed to drop their child off at daycare but forgets to do so. If the child is quiet or dozing and the parent is distracted, the parent may forget the child is in the vehicle when rushing to clock in at work or make an urgent morning meeting. The probability of such an incident increases if parents change their ordinary routine, so a parent that is almost never responsible for taking kids to school or daycare is tasked with this duty.

A Washington Post article on this issue reported this problem as one that impacts families from all walks of life, including busy CEOs, professors, caregivers and the full spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds. There are technological solutions that could reduce the risk of such accidents, but vehicle and car seat manufactures have not implemented such measures. These potential solutions include warning systems or fan systems that keep kids cooler if they are inadvertently left in a vehicle.

We urge all parents and caregivers of children to “Look Again” when they exit their vehicle. Some safety experts suggest leaving a diaper bag in the passenger seat as a reminder that a child is in the vehicle. Alternatively, a purse or briefcase left in the back seat also might help.

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Our child injury lawyers at Montlick and Associates have been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and in the Southeast for over thirty years, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/19/boy-dies-hot-car/10859917/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html

Category: Personal Injury