Boston Injury Lawyer Blog
A Maine toddler who was found floating face-down in his family’s swimming pool last Thursday is slowly improving.
Cody Campbell, 2, was unresponsive when he was pulled from the above-ground pool by his mother. He had a pulse, but no brain activity at the time of the accident according to emergency responders.
Campbell, who is recovering at Maine Medical Center has made progress and now recognizes his parents and is now talking, though he is having some difficulties with his speech. Police say that Cody was at home with his mother and siblings when he went missing and was found in the pool.
Though the story did not end tragically, this situation serves as a reminder for parents to make keeping children safe around swimming pools a priority. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning accidents are the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4, and the fifth leading cause of death for individuals of all ages.
Swimming pools pose the greatest risk for submersion injury or death by drowning to young children. Though the child may survive a near drowning experience, as was the case of Cody Campbell of Maine, nonfatal drowning may cause irreversible brain damage and long term disabilities, including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functions.
Who Is At Risk?
According to the CDC, rates of drowning incidents vary demographically by age, gender, and race. The highest rates are among those children ages 1 to 4, and typically males are at a greater risk for drowning than females. The biggest risk factor for drowning incidents is accessibility to water. Those who live close to bodies of water, those have a swimming pool, or those regularly visit a pool are generally more susceptible to pool-related incidents and drowning. Additionally, level of aquatic training and swimming strength are contributing risk factors.
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With the arrival of warmer weather, residents around Massachusetts are beginning to open their windows to let the fresh air in. Unfortunately the pleasant feeling of fresh air may turn tragic, especially in households with small children. Nearly 4,000 children are injured and more than a dozen children under the age of 10 die each year in the United States from window falls, according to Boston Children’s Hospital. Window falls are most often caused when children push themselves against the screen of an open window, resulting in the screen to give way, and the child to suddenly fall. Fortunately, there are ways for parents and caregivers to protect their children from falling out of windows.
Most hit-and-run accidents occur in metropolitan areas where there is a high volume of car and pedestrian traffic. In fact, in 2010, the NHTSA reported that 73% of all pedestrian accidents occurred in urban settings, and typically at non-intersections (79%). Weather conditions, as reported by the NHTSA do not seem to have an impact on the amount of pedestrian fatalities however the majority of these types of accidents usually take place during nighttime hours. About 1 in 5 pedestrians killed in 2010, were the victim of a hit-and-run motor-vehicle accident, the NHTSA reported.
