Baby Bottle, Pacifier and Sippy Cup Injuries Investigated in Study

Yesterday, the Center for Behavioral Health and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital released a study of injuries associated with baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups. The data from 1991 to 2010 showed that a child under three years old visited the emergency room every four hours for injuries from the aforementioned products. More stats below:


Most Common Product Present in Injury:
Baby Bottles (66% of injuries)
Pacifiers (20% of injuries)
Sippy Cups (14% of injuries)

Most Common Body Regions Injured: 
Mouth (71% of injuries)
Head, Neck, Face (20% of injuries)

Eighty-six percent of the injuries were sustained during a fall. The Nationwide's Children website has the following quote from one of the study's authors Sarah Keim PhD, MA, MS: “Two-thirds of injuries examined in our study were to one-year-old children who are just learning to walk and more prone to falls.” If you have a baby in the family, make sure he or she is sitting when using one of these products. While every injury might not be avoided, making sure of this will without a doubt cut down on ER visits in the future.   

“Educating parents and caregivers about the importance of transitioning their children away from these products at the ages recommended by the AAP and AAPD could prevent up to 80 percent of the injuries related to baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups,” said Lara McKenzie, PhD, who served as Keim's partner on the study.

Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
6-12 months: wean babies off pacifiers
12-15 months: transition from bottle to cup

Additional Reading:
Baby Bottles, Pacifiers, Sippy Cups Can Injure (US News: Health)
Bottles, binkies and sippy cups: Dr. Nancy Snyderman's safety tips for parents with young children (MSNBC)
Beware Bottles, Binkies and Sippy Cups (Washington Post)

Photo Credit: mueritz via Flickr Creative Commons

14 Lawn Care Safety Tips For Your Family

Some people see yard work as a chore they must do. Others take pleasure in keeping their yards in tip-top condition. Either way you go about it, safety, as always, comes into play. Below are 14 tips to stay safe as you and your family take care of the lawn and landscaping duties this spring and summer.

1. Wear protective clothing such as jeans, pants, boots and sunglasses. A majority of lawn care injuries occur by simply not being protected.

2. Turn off the lawn mower before you gas it back up.

3. Never leave lawn care equipment running while you are not around to operate it.

4. Do not let children or animals around you while you are performing your yard duties. Also, do not let children ride along with you if you have a riding mower.

5. If you need your lawn mower blade sharpened, take it to a professional.

6. Do not take a riding mower across a steep incline. It can cause you to lose control and roll over.

7. If you are using a push behind mower, always keep all four wheels on the ground.

8. If you use an electric mower, never use it when it is wet or raining.

9. Make sure you clean off the top of your mower. If grass accumulates on top and you continue to mow, the engine heat could ignite a fire.

10. Make all height adjustments to the mower while it is off.

11. When you are finished mowing, let the engine cool down before you begin your cleaning process.

12. Walk around your yard and pick up any debris (small rocks, limbs, etc) before you mow.

13. If an injury occurs, stop mowing and treat the injury. If professional help is needed to treat the injury, call 911 or go to the emergency room as soon as possible.

14. Make sure all your law mower fuel is stored properly in approved containers.       

More Safety Tips: 

Grass Cutting Safety
Lawn Mower Safety
Walk Behind Mower Safety
Lawn Mower Safety for Children

* Photo courtesy of Patrick Hoesly via Flickr Creative Commons.

Los Angeles Times Columnist Suggests Beefing Up Social Security Benefits

Yesterday, we ran a story about the annual trustee report released about the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. Michael Hiltzik, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, says those who want to strengthen Social Security have come to "dread" this day in his April 25th column, "Let's Beef Up Social Security Benefits Instead of Cutting Them." He goes on to mention that the day is used more for "hand-wringing" which leads to people to call for a of cut benefits in the system.

He reminds those who may be on edge due to the news that the program isn't "insolvent" or "bankrupt" and even if Congress does absolutely nothing, there will still be enough to pay out 75% of benefits in 2033. Also, an economic recovery would certainly would improve the systems fiscal condition.

The above is only a small portion of what Mr. Hilztik writes in his column. After the introduction of Monday's announcement, he goes into why he thinks Social Security should be beefed up and all the talk of cuts in the system should be hushed. He doesn't waste time getting into the discussion either. From Mr. Hiltzik's column:

"Yes, you heard me right. It's time to shut down the talk of cutting benefits, which serves nobody, and pump up the volume on making them better."

If you would like to check out exactly where Mr. Hilztik suggests Social Security should be beefed up, please read the full column on the Los Angeles Times website by clicking here.

Social Security Trust Fund Estimated to Run Dry by 2033

Each year, trustees that oversee the Social Security trust fund release a report that shares the financial health of the program. According to the 2012 report, which was released yesterday, the trust fund will run dry by 2033. The year projected is three years earlier than projected last year.

The main cause of the earlier projection is due to high energy costs and the suppression of workers' wages. Experts see these trends only continuing in years to come. In addition, experts predict that workers will be working fewer hours in the future which will lower  payroll tax receipts. Payroll tax receipts support the Social Security trust fund, therefore, if there are fewer workers working fewer hours, there will be fewer dollars being put into the fund.

All of the above is true for both Social Security funds combined. Social Security is split up into two funds. One fund for retirement and survivor benefits and one for disability. Own it's own, the retirement fund is expected to run out by 2035 and the disability fund by 2016.

Additional Reading:
Social Security Quickly Dwindling (The Tennessean)
Social Security and Medicare Could Run Out Sooner Than Expected (ABC News Blog)
Is Social Securty Exhausted? Not at all (Reuters)

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Distracted driving has been in the news a lot here lately. Not only nationally, but on a local level with the passing of an ordinance in Chapel Hill in March. Here is an interesting note from fastlane.dot.gov, which is the official blog of the US Secretary of Transportation. The last line has been bolded for emphasis.

In California, where texting and talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving are against the law, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies will crack down on drivers text messaging and talking on their cell phones behind the wheel.  Is the California law working? Just two years after the state's ban went into effect, road fatalities had fallen 22 percent.

While state transportation divisions and local organizations get the word out about distracted driving, you can most certainly amplify their reach by speaking with your family about distracted driving. If you have teenage drivers in the household, let them know that that one text to their friend saying "lol", no matter the situation, is just not worth it. If notice your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister, brother, uncle, nephew, niece, grandmother or grandfather texting or being distracted while driving, let them know you're worried about their safety. A million TV commercials, print ads or radio spots will not come close to the impact a family member or friend has on the actions of a person.

Texting and talking while in the act of driving are filling the news wire these days, but remember that there are other ways to be distracted while driving. Eating a cheeseburger, putting on make-up, trying to read a newspaper, looking at yourself in the mirror, trying to write down information as you drive, etc.

Let's all work together to make the roads safer this April and moving forward in 2012.


* Picture courtesy of samantha celera via Flickr Creative Commons 

NC Court of Appeals Upholds Workers' Compensation for Hardison & Cochran Client

The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently upheld a decision to award workers' compensation benefits to former Lumberton principal James Hunt. The former Marine, who is represented by Hardison & Cochran Managing Partner and NC Workers' Compensation Board Certified Specialist Ben Cochran, was injured when he was hit with a shotgun blast in April of 2009.

In December of 2010, the North Carolina Industrial Commission ruled that Mr. Hunt's claim was compensable, but the school district appealed the case to the appellate court.


Additional Reading:
Hardison & Cochran Client Awarded Workers' Compensation Benefits Again After Full Industrial Commission Hearing (July 2011)

Hardison & Cochran Client Receives Workers' Compensation After Shooting (December 2010)

Raleigh News & Observer's Sunday Front Page Discusses North Carolina Workers' Compensation Issues

This past Sunday, the News & Observer ran a story about workers' compensation on the front page. The article, which has been getting many comments on their website, is about employers in North Carolina who forge ahead in the operation of their businesses without any workers' compensation insurance.

In North Carolina, businesses with three or more employees must purchase workers' compensation insurance. If they do not purchase insurance, they must certify that they can cover the costs of injuries to their employees. It is a Class H felony to knowling fail to carry workers' compensation insurance.

The article, penned by Mandy Locke and David Raynor, is an interesting read into the world of North Carolina workers' compensation. You can view the full article by clicking here.

* Photo courtesy of gregor_y via Flickr Creative Commons.

4 Safety Tips to Remember When Going to a Baseball Game

We were checking our Twitter feed today and came across a tweet by the Arizona personal injury law firm of Bache & Lynch about a woman who was struck by a bat at a minor league game. Since baseball season is right around the corner, we figured we'd share some tips on staying safe at baseball games. While the story is about professional baseball, these tips are valid in high school, Babe Ruth, Little League, etc as well.



1. Stay Alert
Seems pretty simple right? You'd be amazed at how many people go to baseball games, purchase a seat right down one of the foul lines and just do not pay attention to every single pitch. Sometimes people just cannot get out the way of the ball. It happens, but the balls that are chopped and lack velocity going into the crowd shouldn't seriously hurt anyone if they are alert, but it happens.

2. Think About Who You Are Bringing to the Game
Say you are going out to Durham, Zebulon, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, etc. to catch some Minor League action this year and you have your 2 year old son and your 70 year old father in tow. While it might be exciting to be right on top of the action, the best bet would be to scale back a little bit. Your son isn't going to be able to defend himself if a ball is batted his way. Your father's ability to dodge a batted ball should also cause concern at that age.

3. Don't Lean Over Rails to Catch Balls
Baseball fans, sadly, learned far too much about this last year. During a Texas Rangers game, Josh Hamilton tossed a ball into the stands. A man in the stands reached out for the ball, lost his balance and flipped over the rail. His fall was fatal. He had been at the game with his son who witnessed his father fall to his death. Just a horrible story, but we use it illustrate the dangers of leaning over rails.

4. Bring Sunglasses
If you have a seat that is in the danger zone when it comes to foul balls and flying bats, you may want to invest in some sunglasses before the game. You see ballplayers lose balls in the sun all the time. These are professionals paid to play the game. You're not. (Well, maybe you are. It would be great if professional ballplayers were reading our blog.)

* Photo courtesy of SD Dirk via Flickr Creative Commons

Talking On a Cell Phone While Driving in Chapel Hill Becomes Illegal on June 1st

On Monday night, Chapel Hill became the first town in the nation to pass an ordinance that will ban talking on a cell-phone or hands free device while driving a vehicle. The final vote on the matter was 5-4. 

The violation for talking on your phone while driving will be $25. Emergency phone calls and calls with a spouse and children will be permitted under the ordinance.

We recently asked out newsletter readers what they thought of full cell phone bans. Check out what they had to say by clicking here.

Additional Reading:Chapel Hill council bans cell-phone use while driving (News & Observer)
Chapel Hill bans all cellphone use while driving (WRAL)

* Picture courtesy of samantha celera via Flickr Creative Commons

The 2012 Eastern North Carolina Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Walk in Downtown Raleigh

Saturday was a busy day for some folks at Hardison & Cochran. In addition to the 5K event that took place early Saturday morning, which you can read about here, there was another event in Raleigh that the firm always loves attending.

The 2012 Eastern North Carolina Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Walk fought wind and rain, but the final funds raised was enough to brighten the day for many. While the final total of funds raised is still unknown, it was announced at the event that $70,000 had been raised thus far.

The Muscle Walk was a little different this year than years past as it took place in the 100 block of Fayetteville Street in Downtown Raleigh. Local tavern, Isaac Hunter's served as the host of the event and also hosted the band that played smooth jams as folks walked in Downtown for Muscular Dystrophy. In years past, the event had been held at a local park in Apex.

Additional Reading:
2011 Eastern North Carolina MDA Muscle Walk
2010 Eastern North Carolina MDA Muscle Walk

If you would like to see all the pictures from the MDA Muscle Walk in Downtown Raleigh, please click here.