This is a public service announcement from the Florida Department of Health, the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and the Florida Department of Children & Families. As the PSA notes, half of all children hospitalized for falls are under the age of 5. We are posting this video now because June has been designated as National Safety Month by the National Safety Council (NSC), and this week is dedicated to preventing slips, trips and falls. We discussed substance abuse issues relating to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) last week, but it is important to note that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says falls are not only the leading cause of TBIs, but also result in the greatest number of TBI-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Furthermore, children aged 0 to 4 years old are one of two groups for which the rates of TBIs caused by falls are highest. Children this young are more at risk to fall when learning to walk or run at these ages, and are also not able to control the movement of their heads as well as adults.
As the video above notes at the end, parents can help prevent their children from sustaining TBIs by keeping an eye on them at all times. The woman’s testimony at the end of the PSA is especially powerful. “I just couldn’t believe that it would happen so fast,” she says. “So fast. I mean, literally a second.”
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) recommends that parents can take additional measures around their houses to help prevent falls resulting in catastrophic injuries, such as using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, installing window guards and securing rugs. Parents can also take steps to protect young children outside the home by ensuring their kids wear properly-fitted helmets for outdoor activities and are always buckled into the appropriate car safety seats.
On Friday, we will discuss the other group that is especially at risk for TBIs caused by falls, but if you have a loved one who sustained a brain injury as the result of another party’s negligence, contact our firm today to see how our Orlando personal injury attorneys may be able to help.
Wooten Kimbrough, P.A. – Orlando personal injury lawyers
