Boston Child Brain Injury Blog

A 2-year-old Maine boy’s death by entrapment and strangulation has prompted the recall of about 20,000 units of the Cozy Indoor Outdoor Portable Playard Tents Plus Cabana Kits by Tots in Mind Inc., of Salem, NH.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website, the boy, who died in December 2008, was found hanging with his neck entrapped between the playard frame and the metal base rod of the tent.

Since the child was able to pop off the clips that attach the tent to the top of the playard, the tent was partially tied by pieces of nylon rope and partially attached by clips. It is believed that the boy became entrapped while attempting to climb out of the playard.

There have also been 3 other incidents in which children were able to remove one or more clips and place their necks between the tent and the playard. Luckily, these children were not injured.

The faulty tents will be recalled nationwide in the US and in Canada, with the help of the CPSC and Health Canada (HC), as well as in cooperation with Tots in Mind Inc.

As you can see on the photo below, the dome-shaped mesh tent is designed to fit over playards.

Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the playards.

The tragic drowning of the 2-year old twin girls that happened over the weekend in Lynnfield, Massachusetts raises some important questions as to whether parents should teach their young children water survival skills, and at what age.

Even taking precautionary measures like fencing your pool, or covering the pool with a protective sheet, which the twins’ parents  took care of, are not enough to keep youngsters from falling into the pool and drowning, so there is even more stress on the importance of constant supervision by parents and caregivers.

Another approach is to teach young children to survive falling into water on their own. The Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) classes do just that.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swim lessons for children ages 4 and up, their website says, “Because of recent research, the AAP no longer advises against swimming lessons for children 1 to 4 years of age.”

The ISR course however is aimed at children even 17 months and younger. The goal of the course is to teach babies and toddlers how to save themselves in case they fall into water. Some of the skills covered in the course are how to stabilize in the water after a fall, how to rotate and float, and how to get back to the wall.

It may look or sound controversial (just see the video clip above), but it is an option some parents consider for their children, especially when they are faced with grim statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say that nearly 30% of fatal accidents involving children ages 1 to 4 are drowning accidents.

However, even swimmers, young and old, die, so no swim lesson is a substitute for constant adult supervision.

A rule of thumb for parents is to keep at an arm’s length away from their toddler when they are near a source of water.

Losing a child is parents’ worst nightmare. Losing two children is grief beyond words.

In a cruel twist of fate, a Lynnfield couple lost both of their 2-year-old twin baby girls in a drowning accident in their home pool on Saturday, July 17th.

News reports covering this tragic event noted that the couple did everything to save their children who were found floating in the pool.

The little girls, Veronica and Angelina Andreottola, 2, were discovered by their parents, who pulled them out of the water and called 911.

They also called neighbors for help, one of whom, an off-duty police officer performed CPR on the girls. Paramedics and rescue teams who arrived on the scene continued CPR until the girls reached Union Hospital in Lynn about 13 minutes later. Doctors at the hospital continued with resuscitation efforts, but it was too late. The girls could not be saved.

According to the authorities the Andreottola family’s in-ground backyard pool was properly fenced and equipped with an electric-powered retractable cover. Police are still trying to determine how the cover was pulled back, and how the girls fell in.

“I think every effort was made to safeguard those children,” police officials said, “It was a tragic, tragic accident.”

The little girls are survived by their 1-year-old sibling.

We sympathize with the family of Veronica and Angelina Andreottola in their pain.

A horrific assault on an infant perpetrated by a Great Falls woman left an innocent little girl blind and brain damaged for life, and even though the woman was found guilty and sentenced to a 30-year prison term, the child will never fully recover from her assault and be able to see again.

The woman, Alicia Jo Hocter was accused of aggravated assault and criminal endangerment for the February 2009 beating of Seraphina Bernardi – her then boyfriend’s daughter.

According to prosecutors in the case, Hocter held the infant around the waist and swung her against the edge of a wooden crib two or three times, then tossed the child into the crib, left the room and closed the door.

How cruel is that? What kind of a person does something like that?

She left the child alone and injured until her boyfriend, the girl’s father came back home about an hour later. She didn’t even bother to call 911 – it was little Seraphina’s father who called 911.

The little girl suffered permanent brain damage and blindness as a direct cause from her beating and physical abuse. Hocter received the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole for her crime against a defenseless child, and perhaps realizing the terrible damage her actions have cause, she apologized and said she believed she deserved punishment.

Seraphina’s mother, Kendra Bernardi, told the judge that her daughter is now serving a life sentence of blindness because of the injuries that Hocter caused. She said that even though Hocter got the verdict that she deserved, it will never be enough. “I’m glad that it’s over with, I’m glad that it’s closed, but it’s never going to be over for us. This is just another thing in our life, another thing that we have to deal with. Hopefully now we’ll have some closure,” she said.

We fully simpathize with little Seraphina and her parents, and we have her in our hearts and prayers.

You can find the news articles related to this sad story here: BillingsGazette.com, KRTV.com.

A 5-year-old boy was found dead in his home in Lincoln Park close to Detroit three days ago on July 12. Police believe that the little boy has been mauled to death by a dog (or dogs).

The boy’s mother called the police the morning of July 12 saying she found her son dead in an upstairs bedroom. The last time she saw the boy alove was when she put him to bed around 10:30-11 p.m. the previous night (Sunday). According to the police, the boy died several hours before they arrived from wounds police described as “significant.”

They said the child was apparently “attacked by an animal.”

It is presumed that the animal in question is one or two of the dogs that lived with the boy’s family – a 35-pound Labrador mix and a 90-pound male dog described by the owner as a husky/German shepherd mix (which some people describe as a wolf breed). Both dogs, which belong to the live-in boyfriend of the boy’s mother, were taken away by the authorities.

Police do not think the boy’s death was a homicide. An autopsy was performed on Tuesday to determine the cause of death, and the results are pending. The truth will be revealed after the autopsy.

Dogs are popular pets for their loyalty, companionship and protection. However, even the most peaceful dogs can be very aggressive sometimes. Always keep in mind that dogs will bite when provoked.

According to health officials, dogs bite or attack more than 4.5 million people each year, killing an average of 20 people.

Young children are often the most vulnerable to these attacks. The related research from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that half of all children are bitten by dogs at some point, and half of those attacks occur at home with a familiar dog. So parents should always be careful about their children playing with dogs at home. If a dog-bite accident happens, see a doctor as soon as possible or dial 911.

In addition, turning to an experienced child injury lawyer for help is always a good choice.

News Sources: The Detroit News, CNN

Almost every month this spring and summer has brough news of drop-side cribs recalls, the latest of which was announced yesterday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) and Pottery Barn Kids.

All Potery Barn Kids drop side cribs, regardless of model number or year are being voluntarily recalled due to a risk of suffocation, entrapment and fall hazards.

The recall of approximately 82,000  drop-side cribs was announced on the same day the CPSC made a big step toward the elimination of the controversial drop-side cribs. Namely, Associated Press reportedon July 14 about the CPSC-proposed new rules that would ban the manufacture, sale and resale of drop-side cribs.

The problem with these cribs is that their drop-sides can detach when their hardware breaks, creating a space into which a young child can crawl and become entrapped. Since babies’ heads are pretty big compared to their bodies, when sliding into the empty space, their bodies can pass, but their heads can become entrapped, leading to strangulation, suffocation, or falling out of the crib.

Parents should not attempt to fix drop-side cribs. Many incidents can occur due to incorrect assembly, as well as from age-related wear and tear. The best thing parents can do is simply stop using unsafe baby furniture like drop-side cribs and return them to the manufacturer.

So far, related to these specific drop-side cribs, the CPSC website says they have received 36 reports of Potery Barn Kids drop sides that have malfunctioned or detached, resulting in 7 minor injuries when children fell out of the cribs or got their legs caught between the mattress and the drop side. One of these children became entrapped at the head between the drop side and crib mattress, but fortunately was freed without injury.

Potery Barn Kids is a division of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. The recalled cribs were made in Canada, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Italy and were sold exclusively at www.potterybarnkids.com, the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, and at Pottery Barn Kids retail store throughout the US from Jan. ’99 through March ’10 for between $300 and $600.

An 11-month-old Buffalo Grove infant who was left unattended by parents nearly drowned in a bathtub on July 1st. The child died after 10 days on life support.

Police initially said the infant’s death was an accident, but the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) continues to investigate the cease after an allegation of neglect was made against the child’s parents.

Police officials say that the child, Brandon Zhu, was left unattended due to a miscommunication between the parents for only a few moments in an infant tub that was inside a larger bath tub. They say the infant boy flipped forward out of his seat and into the bathtub filled with water in his father’s absense.

The parents found the infant unresponsive in the water and called 911. Medics at the Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights revived the child, and he was airlifted on life support to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. After days on life support, the child’s parents turned off the life support machines on Sunday, and the child was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was performed the next day which found the cause of death to be anoxic encephalopathy, or lack of oxygen to the brain, caused by drowning, an official at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. However, the manner of the boy’s death was undetermined.

So far police investigating the incident have  interviewed the little boy’s parents, family members and neighbors. No signs of abuse or neglect have been reported. Police said the little boy had a 3-year-old sibling, who was home at the time of the incident.

In the meantime, DCFS are still investigating the boy’s death. DCFS spokesman said the agency opened the investigation after receiving a call about an allegation of neglect against the family on its hotline July 1, the same day as the child’s drowning.

There have been an overwhelming number of reports of children near drowning incidents across the US this summer, so we urge parents and caregivers to excercise extreme caution when it comes their little ones’ safety.

Infants are especially prone to drowning in home bathtubs or swimming pools since the size of ther heads is disproportionate to their little bodies, and their neck muscles are too weak to support it above water, which is why parents should never leave little children alone near water. Even a few unattended moments can lead to tragedy as was the case with little Brandon Zhu.

While we are extremely sad for the loss of this little boy’s life, we hope other parents can learn from his sad story and remember to stay close to their infants while they are in the bathtub.

News sources: Daily Herald, PioneerLocal.com

There have been many reports of children and adults drowning or nearly drowning (both in swimming pools and open waters) this summer. While the lucky ones escape the water on time, and go on to live their lives, an especially sad recent accident took two lives in one go. 

On July 2, a 47-year old  woman and a 2-year-old girl drowned in Orange Beach, Alabama. They were spotted in the water, and someone at the beach called 911 to report a possible drowning. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene they found the two victims in the water – unresponsive.

Kembra Gordon, 47, of Pelham was pronounced dead at the scene, while the little girl was flown by a medical helicopter to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida where she was pronounced dead.

Gordon and the little girl were not related, but according to news reports, they were part of a group vacationing from the Birmingham area. Witnesses said that two had taken a walk on the beach away from their group before the drowning. When people who were with them noticed they were missing, they thought the two had returned to their condominium or swimming pool.

The truth was immensely more devastating.

A Lawrence woman which fled the police in a high-speed chase on July 3rd in Salem hadher 12-year-old daughter in the car when she struck another vehicle at a Mobil gas station. Police said that Maria Molina, 36 was fleeing police after stealing three purses at different stores’ parking lots in one day. She  told the judge during her arraignment that she was under the influence of drugs when she stole the purses and engaged in a high-speed police chase.

Molina was eventually stopped and arrested on 11 charges, including reckless conduct, theft, disobeying a police officer, reckless operation, and endangering the welfare of a child. Her bail, which was initially set for $50,000 was doubled to $100,000 cash due to her lengthy criminal history.

If we forget about her theft for a minute and think of her conduct after the police recognized her vehicle from victims’ reports and signalled her to stop, we might wonder what kind of a parent would take their child on a wild high-speed police chase, and how lucky was that child to escape injuries from two accidents that happened within minutes.

Instead of stopping her car when police signalled her to pull over, Molina sped up and ran red lights at intersections. Losing control over her car on moments, she struck two vehicles before finally stopping and giving in to the police. Her daughter with her in the car the whole time. It is no wonder Molina was accused of endangering the welfare of her child.

The sad part is that Molina is not a singularly irresponsible parent. The number of incidents in which a child’s life was endangered by parents or caregivers is continuously growing. Just a couple of days before this incident, on July 1st, a man lead a 90 mph police chase with his 2-year-old son in the car. Luckily, the child didn’t get injured, despite his father’s reckless driving and crashing into a fire hydrant and utility pole .

Molina has been blamed by the public of neglecting her children’s life and will face the charges for her actions. On the other hand, we need to ask ourselves if police should engage in high-speed chases for lesser crimes. Do the benefits of potential apprehension of a criminal outweigh the risks of endangering the public and the police? In other words, will capturing a fleeing purse thief make up for the fact that a child’s life was put in danger of injury and even death?

Most parent would never put their daughters or sons in situations where they intentionally speed and run red lights causing collisions with other vehicles just to escape charges for crimes they have committd. So, if parents like Molina, who put themselves first before their children’s safety, do not care if their 12-year-old daughter gets injured or killed in the chase, shouldn’t police be the responsible ones and think of that child’s safety if their parents can’t?

To view the Eagle Tribune news article, please click here.

To read more about the risks of high-speed chases, see this article.

Trained dogs, such as K-9 police dogs, are great police helpers when it comes to searching for drugs or other illegal substances at airports and other locations. However, they are still dogs with animal instincts which can bite when provoked.

A 13-year-old girl, Frances Burke-Bevis, from Concord, NH was bitten by such a dog, a K-9 last Thursday, as she was walking her own dog while police were searching the area for drugs.

The Concord Monitor reported that the canine in question, a New Hampshire State Police dog (a German shepherd), was brought to Warren Street in Concord for a drug search. The dog was not on a leash. The K-9 attacked the girl’s black Lab mix dog, and as she tried to stop the attack, the K-9 bit her left hand sending the girl to the hospital.

Fortunately, a woman who had been yelling at the German shepherd to heel got hold of its collar, Frances said.

The police dog was brought to the area on Thursday after a car crashed into a telephone pole at Warren Street near Holt Street and the police suspected drugs were involved.

There were no additional information from the police about why the police dog was not on a leash when it attacked the girl.

According to the American Kennel Club, the German Shepherd is hailed as the world’s leading police, guard and military dog, and one of the most popular dogs in America, however they have a reputation for biting, so it’s no wonder they have been banned in some jurisdictions as a result.

To read about how you can protect your children from dog bites, please see our previous post.