Articles Posted in School Injuries

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A Mt. Carmel High School teacher, Stacy Michelle Walker, has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a student in a relationship that spanned over two years. San Diego police reported that the assault occurred between 2017 and 2019. Walker, aged 40, turned herself in and was booked into custody with bail set at over $400,000. She faces 17 felony counts, all related to sex crimes, including luring a minor1.

The teacher allegedly began having sexually charged conversations with the female student when she was 15 years old, which escalated to sharing explicit photos, videos, and text messages. The incidents reportedly continued even after the victim turned 18. The investigation is ongoing, and the alleged incidents occurred at varying locations, not exclusively on campus1.

The student came forward to San Diego police on July 31, prompting the sex crimes unit to initiate an investigation. The Poway Unified School District was notified of the allegations and investigation in August, leading to Walker being placed on leave and an internal inquiry launched by the district. Mt. Carmel Principal Yael Bozzay assured parents that the school takes the situation seriously and is fully cooperating with law enforcement1.

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louis-reed-JeInkKlI2Po-unsplash-copy-300x200When young students are required to use certain devices or objects in science classes for experiments, those students could be at risk of suffering a serious burn injury. Anytime science classroom experiments require students to use flammable materials, a serious fire could start and students could suffer disfiguring and severe burn injuries. A recent report from CBS 8 San Diego discusses a burn injury case in which a sixth-grader in the Encinitas Union School District sustained life-threatening burn injuries. That student’s family recently filed a lawsuit against the school, and that claim highlights the serious dangers of particular classroom activities. 

Science Classroom Experiment Resulted in Face and Neck Burn Injuries

According to the CBS 8 San Diego report, the recent claim against Encinitas Union School District centers around a 13-year-old student, Priest Rivera, who “suffered burns to his face, neck, and chest after a school experiment allegedly went wrong.” The family alleges that the Encinitas Union School District is responsible for the injuries according to legal theories of negligence, and negligent supervision and training. As a result of the injuries, the student required four surgeries and spent one week in the burn unit at UCSD. The student’s complaint alleges that he ultimately suffered “severe and permanent injuries.” How did the burn injuries happen?

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austin-pacheco-uZkgI3opcvE-unsplash-copy-300x207Now that school is back in session in Carlsbad, it is important for parents to think carefully about school bus safety. Whether you children ride a school bus or walk to school in areas with school buses, bus accident and injury prevention should be on your mind this fall and throughout the school year. 

According to a recent report from ABC News, most child injuries involving school buses occur when a motorist fails to abide by traffic laws pertaining to school buses. For example, automobile drivers might fail to stop when a bus stops to let kids off, or car drivers might not pay attention when they are speeding along roads where children are waiting for a school bus. At the same time, kids can get injured while riding on school buses. Despite all of these injury risks, the report points out that “a school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road.” What do you need to know about school bus safety and bus accident prevention?

School Buses are One of the Safest Ways for Kids to Get to School

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markus-spiske-197281-copy-200x300For working parents in San Clemente, it is important to be able to rely on a day care facility to take care of your kids during business hours. We all want the best for our children, and San Diego County parents do significant research into daycare facilities to ensure that their kids will be able to learn and play in a safe environment during the workday. Yet daycare accidents can happen at almost any facility. In some situations, accidents and injuries at preschool may be unavoidable. However, daycare and preschool facilities can take preventive measures to ensure that kids do not suffer serious personal injuries. What are some of the most common daycare injuries, and what can facilities do to avoid them?

An article from DC Insurance Services cites the following injuries that often occur at daycare and preschool facilities, as well as ways to prevent them.

Accidents on the Playground

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michael-mroczek-199379-copy-300x200For parents and their neighbors in Rancho Bernardo, it is important to understand important school bus safety laws as kids throughout California return to school. We can all take steps to prevent bus accidents. However, according to a recent report from CBS News, many drivers do not always obey school bus safety laws simply because they do not know them. Now is the time to learn because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) plans to conduct pedestrian safety enforcement operations along the California coast in the coming school days.

What are School Bus Laws in California?

In short, it is important for motorists to know how to behave around a school bus (and how to obey the law). In particular, if you are driving behind a school bus that is picking up or dropping off children, or if you are approaching such a bus from the opposite direction, what does the law require you to do? The report emphasizes the importance of understanding and abiding by the following laws to prevent child pedestrian accidents and fatalities:

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School_Crossing_Marji_11218998325-300x200In and around San Diego, there are a number of initiatives underway to help prevent accidents and child injuries in 2017. According to a fact sheet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 12,000 children between the ages of 0 to 19 sustain fatal injuries each year in accidents. In addition to child fatalities, more than 9.2 million kids in the same age group sustain nonfatal injuries each year that result in treatment in emergency departments. Many of these incidents are preventable if we take safety precautions.

What steps are being taken around San Diego to help lower the number of child accidents and injuries? One recent report from The CW 6 San Diego indicates that new crosswalks have been installed around Point Loma schools, while another report from The CW 6 San Diego notes that a new car seat law in California aims to provide better protections to children under the age of two. What else do you need to know about recent safety steps and car accident precautions in the area?

Point Loma Crosswalk Aims to Prevent Child Pedestrian Accidents and Injuries

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Orthopedic_cast_Vincent's_Gips_ArmTypically, when we think about overuse injuries, we imagine office workers who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or construction workers who sustain overuse injuries to the back or shoulder that result from lifting heavy objects. Yet it is not only adults who are at risk of overuse injuries. Children can sustain overuse injuries, particularly as a result of playing sports. According to a fact sheet from HealthyChildren.org, kids may in fact be at greater risk of sustaining overuse injuries than adults.

What should you know about preventing overuse injuries among children? What responsibilities do youth coaches have to help kids avoid these injuries?

Learning More About Overuse Injuries

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234461207_9f28bf606fWhen you drop off your child at a daycare facility each weekday morning, should you be worried about safety issues? According to a recent report from NBC News, there may be more child injury risks at daycare locations that most parents in San Diego would like to believe. Indeed, the article cites a recent report from the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which “said that 96 percent of the 227 commercial day-care centers and in-home providers that its auditors visited were found to be in violation of at least one state safety or health regulation.”

When your child suffers a preventable daycare injury, you deserve to seek compensation. An experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer can assist with your case.

Infractions at Daycare Centers and Facilities

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san-diego-school-bus_accident_lawyerIt seems there has been a rash of school bus accidents in Southern California lately. Some have been small, causing only property damage, and others have been devastating, claiming lives or causing serious injury, like the one in Orange County this week.

Parents of children involved in these accidents often don’t know where to turn for answers after an injury to a child in one of these cases. In most cases, they are happy with the school their child attends, and sometimes even know and like the driver of the bus.  Suing the school district is often not the first impulse.

As a law firm that has represented victims of bus accidents such as these, we thought it might be helpful do address some of the regulations that cover school buses, and the liability that arises from these accidents.

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Particularly in these difficult economic times, parents no longer have the option of having one parent stay home to take care of the children while the other parent works. As a result, parents must resort to placing their children in daycare. While many daycare centers are well-run and do not experience any major issues, there are others that are not as concerned as they should be about your child’s safety. Unfortunately, sometimes you will not discover whether your daycare center is truly good or bad until a problem arises. daycare.jpeg

One issue that comes up on a frequent, but irregular, basis is that of E. coli. It is a type of bacterium that commonly resides in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. E. coli is transmitted when people come into contact with feces containing the bacterium. It can get into meat during processing, and it may be found in raw dairy products or raw fruits and vegetables. Sometimes feces can get into a lake or other water supply, and E. coli can find its way into drinking water. E. coli is also spread through person-to-person contact, usually when an infected person does not wash his or her hands after going to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, children are quite susceptible to contracting E. coli at daycare. The news organizations seem to be constantly telling us about another shipment of fruits or vegetables that are infected with E. coli, and if your daycare provides food to your child, they may be at risk. In addition, as many parents are aware, children are not always very hygienic and may not wash their hands after going to the bathroom. With all of the children touching the doorknobs, tables, other surfaces, books and toys, it is not hard to imagine a child spreading E. coli bacterium all over the daycare center.

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