Boston Child Brain Injury Blog

Whenever we get behind the wheel of a car, we don’t plan for or expect an accident to happen.  Yet, the unfortunate reality is that the risk is always there no matter where you’re going or who you’re with and this news story proves it.

A crash involving 10 people in two cars yesterday morning in Kensington, NH not only caused injuries (thankfully all minor) but raised several troubling questions about those involved in the accident. 

One of the cars, carrying two women, was turning left at an intersection when it struck another vehicle carrying eight people, an adult and seven children, ranging from age 1 to 12.

According to the article, the vehicle with the eight passengers that had been hit is designed for only four people, allowing for two adults up front and two in the back seat.  This is where the questions become not about the accident itself but about the complete lack of safety precautions taken by the driver who was transporting the kids.

It’s common knowledge that there are easy, preventative measures we can take to do our best to stay safe while driving, such as wearing your seatbelt, ensuring kids are in proper car seats and booster seats, avoiding cell phone usage, and so on.  These safety measures seem to have been ignored when it came to these seven kids in the car. 

While none of the passengers were seriously hurt, the concerns still pile up because the rate of child injuries in car accidents is still unacceptably high. 

How many more injuries or even deaths will occur before we can all be on the same page about child safety in cars?

We all know that the unavoidable summer heat means finding ways to keep cool. Young or old, a dip in the pool is on practically everyone’s To Do Lists during the hot summer months.

However, pool safety can all too often be overlooked when all you want to do is get into the welcoming water and out of the unforgiving sun.

A 6-year-old boy drowned in a California public pool facility this week, in just several feet of water, adding to the already high number of drowning and near-fatal cases among children this year. It was reported in the article that there had been three lifeguards present at the time of the discovery.

As highlighted in the 7/27 blog on our site about the Pool Safely campaign that was unveiled recently from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), reminders about safety around pools have become a necessary tool in trying to prevent further child injury or drowning.

Inez Tenenbaum, Chairwoman of the CPSC says, “These incidents are preventable, so our mission is to change the way families think and act about pool and spa safety.”

This latest victim is just one of too many that reminds us that even in the carefree days of summer we can’t afford to lighten up on child safety around the pool.