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Toddler drowning death in Lee County Again!

Joseph Bernardo — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:02:00 GMT

A young boy tragically died in a pool April 30th here again in Lee County. This is the third child that has drowned in a pool in Fort Myers and Cape Coral in just the last two(2) weeks. What is going on? These deaths have been all over the news and yet they continue to happen. Family safety is apparently suffering a disconnect somewhere in our town. There are numerous pool safety classes and information provided by our Parks & Recreation Depts. and the NSPI. Families must recognize and learn of the dangers associated with pools and children!

The Following Is Based on the National Spa and Pool Institute's Brochure

Drowning Prevention information is not "for someone else". It is for you. Because only by increased awareness and effort can we reduce some very alarming statistics. Drowning is one of the largest causes of accidental death for American infants and children under the age of five. This brochure contains tips on how to help prevent these unfortunate accidents. Read on and learn how you can help make your pool or spa area safer for children.

Drowning Prevention Tips

There is no substitute for adequate supervision.

Pools and spas are attractive to children, and children must be kept away from them in the absence of adequate supervision. A fence, wall or natural/artificial barrier should completely enclose your pool or spa. All gates or doors with access to the pool or spa should have a spring lock, self-closing and self-latching mechanism that protects against unauthorized entry and use. (The inside latch should be above the reach of toddlers or young children.)

Check with you state or local government to learn their specific legal requirements concerning fencing around pools and spas. You cannot be too cautious. If your pool, spa or hot tub is indoors, lock the door to the room or have a cover that locks, to keep out children and other unauthorized users.

Do not place objects (e.g., chairs or tables) near the pool or spa fence that would allow a youngster to climb over. Tree limbs and low overhanging roofs should be removed or made inaccessible.

A float line stretched across a pool indicating where the deep end begins can avoid a dangerous excursion by young children into water over their heads.

A clear view of the pool or spa from the house should be assured by removing vegetation and other obstacles.Trespassers or unexpected swimmers can be discovered by an occasional glance at the pool or spa area.

Reaching and throwing aids should be kept on both sides of the pool. These items should remain stationary and not be misplaced through play activities.

Pools or spas should never be used if any of the grate outlets are missing or broken.

Make certain that all doors leading from the house to the pool or spa area have a self-closing, self-latching mechanism above the reach of toddlers to protect against unauthorized entry and use.

If you use a pool or spa cover, carefully read and follow the manufacturer's directions for safe installation, use and maintenance. Always completely remove the cover before using your pool or spa, to avoid the possibility of anyone - especially a small child -- being trapped and drowning under the cover. Drain any standing water from the surface of your pool or spa cover. An infant or small child can drown even in the smallest amount of water. Be especially alert for the potential for drowning accidents if you use any of the lightweight, floating pool or spa covers. These floating covers are not solid and no one can crawl or walk on them. They are not for safety.
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Safety Tips

Never leave a child alone out of eye contact supervision in or near the pool or spa - not even for a second.

Young children should never be considered water safe despite their swimming skills, previous instruction or experience.

Access to the pool or spa should be limited by locked doors or gates whenever swimming or soaking cannot be supervised.

Teach your children good pool or spa safety habits: no running, pushing playmates, no jumping on others, no diving or jumping in shallow water or "dunking".

Do not rely solely on plastic inner tubes, inflatable arm bands or other toys to prevent accidents.

Keep toys, particularly tricycles or wheel toys, away from the pool or spa. A child paying with these could accidentally fall into the water.

Do not allow anyone of any age to swim without a "spotter" nearby. Examples of good safety behavior by adults are important for young children.

During social gatherings, be certain that someone has the major responsibility for watching the children and swimmers at all times.

Do not permit playful screaming for help (false alarms) which might mask a real emergency.

Teach your children the most effective way to get out of the pool or spa quickly.

Do not allow your child to swim immediately after eating a heavy meal.

Do not allow swimming during thunder or other storms.

Do not allow glass in the pool or spa area.

Do not allow the use of drugs or alcohol by persons using the pool or spa, or in the pool or spa area.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

School Bus and car accident in Cape Coral cause serious injury

Joseph Bernardo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:14:48 GMT

A school bus and car collided at a dangerous intersection this afternoon injuring students from a local school and the passengers in the car. The intersection at Surfside and Veterans has no traffic light yet in spite of the dangerous nature of the intersection and the high traffic. A passenger in the vehicle had to be airlifted to a local hospital with life threatening injuries. Several students and the bus driver were taken by ambulance. I happen to live near this area and know it to be a problem. It is a shame that better planning for this recently constructed area didn't produce the appropriate traffic control device. Lee county has its share of accidents which I've been commenting on lately, and we certainly don't need additional and unnecesary ones to add to the total.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

Plastic bottles recalled due to safety concerns

Joseph Bernardo — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:45:38 GMT

Nalgene bottles with BPA are being recalled over safety concerns. Wouldn't it be nice to see companies studying these issues sufficiently before shoving their product into the stream of commerce and hope for the best. Good god, everyone from healthy hikers to kids in school lunch rooms have been drinking out of these bottles for years. So have I. A group of scientists looking into the effects of BPA have apparently determined their is sufficient concern to warrant further study. Whatever that means. Canada was already smart enough to ban baby bottles with BPA. Its enough for me to not fill that bottle of mine up any more when I head for the beach !

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

Fort Myers Teen Arrested In Hit and Run Accident

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:43:00 GMT

A Fort Myers teen was arrested following a hit and run accident that happened Friday at the corner of Rofles Road and Colonial Boulevard.

According to police, Boyd Iven Grigsby III, 10, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.

It appears on Friday night at 6 p.m. Grigsby hit another vehicle with a mother and toddler inside and then left the scene. Grigsby didn’t stop to ensure that the victims weren’t hurt, investigators said.

Florida ranks third-highest in the nation with an average of 3,300 hit and run accidents per year. California and Texas are the highest.

In Florida, drivers that fail to stop and remain on the scene following a crash face possible felony charges, revocation of their driver’s license, court ordered community service and other fines.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Near Drowning of toddler in family pool

Joseph Bernardo — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:46:12 GMT

A week ago I wrote of the death of an infant here in Lee county by drowning in a pool. Here, a week later(this past Saturday) a toddler was found floating face down in the pool by family after perhaps as long as three(3)minutes or more. This child nearly drowned when the mother went inside for just a moment. That, of course, is all it takes to lead to such tragic consequences --- a moment. The only way to safely have your children of young years near a pool is for you, the parent to be with and watch them at all times. Even pool fences are not infallible and are not a substitute for constant supervision near the water.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

CNA Accused of Abusing Florida Nursing Home Resident

Chrissie Cole — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:58:10 GMT

A certified nursing home assistant has been taken into custody on allegations that she abused a nursing home resident at a Pensacola nursing home. She is accused of causing injuries to the face and neck of an Alzheimer's patient.

The arrest was carried out in Louisiana by the Houma Police Department, acting on behalf of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. "This victim was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and clearly relied on support from his caretakers," said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. "Our senior citizens deserve a high standard of care and respect and we will continue to enforce those standards."

Witnesses say the incident occurred in the shower room of the facility. The man was holding onto a piece of equipment in the shower and began to resist her efforts to remove him. To break his grasp, she struck him.

Gamble has waived extradition and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office will be transporting her to the Escambia County Jail. She will be charged with one felony count of elder abuse. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Issues With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Joseph Bernardo — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:21:22 GMT

Traumatic Brain Injury, now frequently referred to as Post Concussive Syndrome can be a devastating injury yet
can be overlooked by health care providers and family members alike. After the initial traumatic event to the head and brain has been dealt with by health care providers, family members provide the after care. They are untrained
in recognizing or responding to the symptoms presented by the injured person.

The newer term, PCS ,is a poor fit for these very serious injuries. They are difficult to diagnose in the first place
so why reduce the alarming nature of these injuries by fostering this much weaker and banal term ? Various levels of injury, differing degrees of symptoms, and weak descriptions of a serious injury all contribute to a difficult diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury. Since any head trauma and/or brain injury is potentially a life long if not life threatening injury, why diminish the needed concern by using a term that doesn't aptly decribe much of anything.
Everybody can understand Traumatic Brain Injury. What does Post Concussive Syndrome mean ?

Awareness is crucial. Reducing awareness hinders the recognition of this type of injury and prevents a deserving
patient from getting complete medical care and rehabilitation to restore his or her cognitive functions. Be aware of changes in behavior or personality after an injury. Look, also, for reductions in energy level/exhaustion or sleeping more than normal. Have cognitive functions changed at all ? Can the person remember things the same way ?

What are the signs and symptoms of TBI?
The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be subtle. Symptoms of a TBI may not appear until days or weeks following the injury or may even be missed as people may look fine even though they may act or feel differently.
For a list of common signs and symptoms of TBI, see Signs and Symptoms.

What are the long-term outcomes of TBI?
CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans, approximately 2% of the U.S. population, currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.2

These, of course, are very general symptoms and do not always apply. They do not necessarily appear immediately after the trauma and frequently will not manifest themselves for weeks or months. The key is to recognize these changes and seek appropriate follow up medical or rehabilitative care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

Pool Drowning Death in Cape Coral

Joseph Bernardo — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:52:23 GMT

An 18 month old boy drowned in a swimming pool in Cape Coral, Fl. and was found by a family member. Yet another tragic death of a child that should have been avoided. These deaths are not uncommon here in Lee County and Southwest Florida in general though that should be the case. With the development of excellent safety fences in the past ten(10) years , there is no good reason for this type of needless loss of life.We hope that all parents take seriously the dangers presented by pools to infants and young children.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joseph Bernardo

Surveillance Camera Captures 'Slip-N-Fall' Scam

Chrissie Cole — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:20:07 GMT

A Florida woman is being accused of running a "slip and fall" scam at a grocery store in Sunrise.

Surveillance cameras captured images of the woman losing her footing in one of the aisles and taking a nasty fall. A store worker comes to help her up, when she loses her footing again, falling to the floor.

After viewing the surveillance footage the store manager noticed there was something strange about the slip and fall accident. "When she's falling, she doesn't fall backward, she falls forward," usually when it is a slip and fall, you tend to fall backward.

The manager was doing his own investigation and rewound the tape back just enough to find quite a surprise. The woman, in the same aisle, minutes before the accident appears to be trying to open a bottle of olive oil, unsuccessfully.

The woman puts the oil back on the shelf and leaves the aisle only to return moments later to attempt opening another bottle. The tape then shows her pouring some of the oil onto the floor and she puts the bottle back and leaves the aisle.

Moments later she returns to the same aisle and "slips" on the oil.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Girl Dies in Fatal Fort Myers Car Crash

Christina Cole — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:33:42 GMT

A 14-year-old girl died in a fatal car crash in Fort Myers, on Friday. She was a student at South Fort Myers High School.

Breanna Stewart, died after the car that she was a passenger in, ran off the side of the road and flipped. The car accident happened at 8:10 pm, approximately a mile south of Six Mile Cypress Parkway on U.S. 41.

Angela Tardiff, the 16-year-old driver of the 200 Honda involved in the crash, was an older classmate. She survived the crash and let the hospital on Friday night with minor scrapes, said George Kantor with the Florida Highway Patrol.

After the accident, Tardiff told investigators that Stewart had knocked the wheel and she had lost control of the car. "They were listening to music and joking around," said, Kantor.

The crash still was under investigation Saturday, and it wasn't clear why Breanna may have knocked the wheel. No alcohol was involved, Kantor said, and it appears the car wasn't speeding at the time.
Tardiff, the driver, was wearing a seat belt; Stewart was not. While the inside of the car held up even after the car flipped, Stewart died from being tossed around inside the car, Kantor said.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole

Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer - All Topics - Most Popular

Toddler drowning death in Lee County Again!

The Following Is Based on the National Spa and Pool Institute's Brochure

Drowning Prevention Tips

Safety Tips

School Bus and car accident in Cape Coral cause serious injury

Plastic bottles recalled due to safety concerns

Fort Myers Teen Arrested In Hit and Run Accident

Near Drowning of toddler in family pool

CNA Accused of Abusing Florida Nursing Home Resident

Issues With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Pool Drowning Death in Cape Coral

Surveillance Camera Captures 'Slip-N-Fall' Scam

Girl Dies in Fatal Fort Myers Car Crash