Children's Injuries

April 4, 2013

Deerfield Academy Says Accused Teachers Committed Massachusetts Sexual Abuse

Following a report by Deerfield Academy that it is looking into allegations of Massachusetts sexual abuse involving two of its former longtime faculty members, police say that they too plan to conduct an investigation. The report confirms that Peter Hindle, who taught math at the exclusive boarding school from 1956 to 2000, sexually interacted with at least one student, while English teacher Bryce Lambert, who is now deceased, had sexual contact with two students.

According a letter signed by Deerfield’s board of trustees president Philip Greer and school head Margarita Curtis, the school could have done more to better handle past reports of inappropriate behavior involving the two teachers. Meantime, another man has stepped forward to claim that he too was sexually abused by Hindle, who, while he has not commented on these allegations, has previously admitted to giving backrubs to a number of students.

Sexual Abuse and Schools

March 30, 2013

Not All Boston Child Injuries in Cars Involve Actual Massachusetts Traffic Crashes

by Altman & Altman

At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston personal injury lawyers also represent the families of kids injured in non-traffic related Massachusetts car accidents that were caused by another negligent party, including incidents involving:

Backover Accidents

This type of car accident often occurs when a vehicle is backing out of a parking space or driveway. The motorist may not realize that a child is behind the car. According to KidsandCars.org, about 50 kids are involved in US backover incidents every week, resulting in about 48 injuries to minors and two deaths. Boston backover accidents are more likely to occur when there is a larger size vehicle involved, such as an SUV, van, or truck. The bigger size can make rear visibility harder for the driver.

March 21, 2013

Boston Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed by Former Student Claims Inappropriate Relationship with Teacher

by Altman & Altman

A former Andover, MA student is suing Pike School, Groton School, and staff at the two schools for Boston personal injury. The plaintiff, who is now in his 30’s, claims that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female teacher. He believes that staff at the two schools behaved negligently in that they failed to notice and prevent the teacher, Judith Elefante, from acting with him the way she did.

In his Boston sexual abuse case, the alleged victim says that the sexual relationship with Elefante began at Pike School and went on while he attended Groton School (and also, later in college). He claims that Elefante took advantage of his self-confidence and dependency problems and assaulted, raped, and battered him. The plaintiff says that because of the alleged sexual abuse, he stopped going to school and suffered serious permanent emotional and physical injuries.

Sexual Abuse and Emotional Injuries

March 12, 2013

Child Left Alone for Hours on Cambridge, MA School Bus

by Altman & Altman

Update: Driver of Bus Fired After Investigation

The driver that left the five-year old Cambridge child on the bus last week, has been fired.

Jim Misercola of Eastern Bus Company said that as of Tuesday morning, the driver had been terminated. The driver, who has remained unidentified, has been working with the company for 4 years. Misercola stated that he had never had any problems with the driver before.

Jim Maloney of Cambridge Public Schools said that regardless of any punishment, the driver will not be allowed back on city school routes. He also said school officials are inquiring whether a device used to confirm post-trip inspection installed on the bus was working. The device requires drivers to walk to the back of the bus and manually press a button to shut the system off. If it is not shut off, the bus horn sounds and the lights flash until the button is pressed.

According to Misercola, the device is not required by law but was installed on the bus the child was on. He said that despite whether or not the device is operating, drivers are required by law to inspect their buses after their final stop, and this driver inherently failed to do so.

Find this article at Boston.com

Original Article:

A five-year old spent several hours locked on a Massachusetts school bus Thursday afternoon, when the driver failed to perform a walk-through after finishing the route.

Tara Dendy of Cambridge said she went to pick up her son Reign on Thursday, March 11, from his after-school program at the Margaret Fuller House around 5:45 p.m., only to find he did not get off the bus.

“They told me he never showed up, and I just closed my eyes,” Dendy said. “I said I have to find out where my child is.”

Dendy frantically called the police, who confirmed with school officials that the boy had in fact gotten on the bus. Police immediately rushed to the bus yard and found the little boy cold, crying, and shaking on the school bus. Apparently Reign had fallen asleep during the ride home. The driver had not checked to see if anyone was still on the bus when she finished the route at 3:40 p.m.
Continue reading

March 6, 2013

Clergy Sex Abuse Returns to the Spotlight with Pope Benedict’s Resignation and the Wait for His Successor

by Altman & Altman

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, speculation is focusing on who will take his place. Now, according to CNN, a group representing victims of clergy sex abuse have come up a list of cardinals that it believes would be the worst papal candidates in light of how they handled claims of child sex abuse in the past.

Included on this “Dirty Dozen” list are three US cardinals: Timothy Dolan of NY, Donald Wuerl of DC, and Sean O’Malley of Massachusetts. While some of the 12 cardinals were named because of they way they allegedly covered up sex abuse incidents, others were included because of public comments they made about the clergy abuse debacle.

The group seeking to blacklist these men is called the Survivors’ Network of Those Abused by Priests. SNAP also wants some of the older cardinals to not take part in the meetings that have been scheduled before the new pope is elected because the organization feels that some of these men actively protected priests that were accused of molesting kids.

February 16, 2013

First Boston Bus Accident Lawsuit Filed in Soldier Field Road Overpass Crash

by Altman & Altman

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 16-year-old Matthew Cruz. The teenager is still in the hospital after he sustained critical injuries when the bus he was a passenger in crashed into a low overpass on Soldier Field Road.

35 people were injured. The vehicle had been transporting students back from a field trip to Harvard University in Cambridge.

Cruz is represented by the Philadelphia law firm Anapol Schwartz. According to Cruz’s attorneys, the teenager sustained serious injuries to his neck and head, still cannot move his legs of his own accord, and remains intubated. He is not expected to be able to participate in normal activities in the near future. Cruz has already undergone over a dozen hours of surgery to treat his fractures and vertebrae and his condition has reportedly put him at risk of other dangerous health issues.

February 9, 2013

Play Yard Injuries Will Hopefully Decrease with Danny’s Law

by Altman & Altman

Beginning the last day of this month, play yard manufacturers and importers will have to make sure that their products satisfy new federal safety standards. The framed enclosures for infants and toddlers have been linked to many injuries in recent years. Just between 2007 and 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of 2,100 play yard incidents that included 60 child deaths and 170 injuries.

Common Play Yard Injuries Have Included:

• Entrapment • Fall accident injuries • Entrapment • Strangulation • Suffocation

February 5, 2013

Boston, Massachusetts Bus Crash that Injured 35 Occurred at Bridge Overpass on Soldiers Field Road that Lacked Necessary Warnings

by Altman & Altman

Three days after a terrible Boston bus crash on Soldiers Field left 35 people with injuries, police have not yet announced whether or not citations or criminal charges will be filed. The Calvary Coach had been transporting high school students and their chaperones from the Destined for a Dream Foundation back home after a tour of Harvard University.

The Massachusetts traffic crash occurred when the bus drove into the Western Avenue Bridge. According to the Boston Globe, there used to be huge rubber signs on that roadway warning that low bridges were coming but that they have since faded. The Western Avenue Bridge, which should have gotten one of the warning signs, reportedly never did.

The height limit on Soldiers Field Road is 10 feet. Commercial vehicles, including buses, are not supposed to drive there. There are also questions as to whether or not Samuel Jackson, the 66-year-old bus driver, was distracted from looking at a GPS device.

January 31, 2013

Kringles and SCS Direct Recall High Powered Magnet Products Because They Pose An Ingestion Danger to Kids

by Altman & Altman

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, two companies are recalling their high-powered magnet products over concerns that they pose an ingestion hazard to kids. This is a serious injury threat and one that our Boston child injury lawyers take seriously.

The first recall involves approximately 4,200 Nanospheres Magnetic Desk Toys. The product consists of about 230 small magnets that are massed together and Kringles Toys and Gifts manufactured them.

Because the magnets are so small, they are easy for a young child to put in the mouth and swallow. In the event that a child were to swallow more than one of these magnets, the small pieces may become to attracted to each other and join together inside the intestines, potentially causing perforations, tissue damage, obstructions, sepsis, permanent injuries, and even death.

January 16, 2013

Beverly, Massachusetts Sexual Abuse Allegations Continue Against Landmark School

by Altman & Altman

According to Landmark School, a private school in Massachusetts, another five graduates have come forward claiming that they were molested by to ex-teachers and a former staffer. The alleged Beverly sex abuse incidents took place during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

A report from the school’s board of the trustees notes that the two teachers identified by the former students had already settled previous Massachusetts sex abuse lawsuits involving other victims. This latest news comes just a few months after three other alumni alleged that they had been molested also during the same time period. Among those accused of committing sex abuse is Howard Kasper, a former dean.

Landmark School is attended by kids with learning disabilities involving language. Tuition to attend varies from $46,575 to $62,000 depending on whether one is a day student or a boarding student.