One morning earlier this month, two vehicles struck a 13-year-old Orange County boy as he walked to ...

1. Students Have High Risk Of Sustaining Injuries In School
One morning earlier this month, two vehicles struck a 13-year-old Orange County boy as he walked
to school. The pedestrian accident occurred at some time around 7:30 a.m. in the 18900 block of
Spring Street near Santiago Middle School, the school in which the boy attended. A westbound
Toyota 4Runner struck the boy first, the impact throwing him into opposite lanes of traffic. An
eastbound Land Rover Discovery was the second vehicle to strike the boy.
"He suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital", explains Jim Ballidis, a
California injury attorney.
Unfortunately, accidents that occur around schools are all too common. Hurried drivers, bicyclists,
skateboarders, and pedestrians can be a dangerous combination. Moreover, the activities students
engage in while at school can be dangerous without proper instruction and supervision.
Between 10% and 25% of the more than 14 million unintentional injuries to children each year
happen on school premises. That's not too surprising since more than 53 million children in America
spend almost a quarter of their waking hours on school property.
Recently a verdict here in Orange County Superior Court documented the clash between the
Huntington Beach City School District and the Camm family. The suit claimed that Samuel Camm
had cut off his thumb while using the school's band saw in his woodshop class. Additionally, there
were reports that the saw was "defective and dangerous." The school settled privately and the
undisclosed settlement will pay for the various surgeries and accrued medical bills.
Last November, 15-year-old North High School student Zachary Kimura and his parents, David and
Wanda, filed a negligence claim against the Torrance Unified School District after he suffered first-
and second-degree burns on his face, neck, arms, and hands during an accident in one of the
classrooms.
On Friday, October 22, students and staff members were cooking Korean barbeque on three butane
stoves when one of the stoves malfunctioned, igniting into a fireball 6 feet wide and 12 feet high,
reported the Daily Breeze. Kimura, who had purchased a plate of food and was waiting in line, and
several other students were injured by the blast. His claim alleges that the school district neglected
to take precautions to protect the students, to provide proper supervision, and to obtain permits to
use the stoves in the classroom.
Due to the relatively high risk students have of suffering injuries, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, CDC, has created a new school health brochure. School staff and students will find
safety tips and guidelines for preventing unintentional injuries in the 2010 National Health
Objectives.
A free, downloadable version of the brochure can be found at the CDC's website
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/

2. By: Larry Drexel
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
If your child has been injured on their way to or at school, Larry Drexel recommends contacting Jim
Ballidis, a California injury attorney who has written extensively on children dangers and accident
prevention.