Maryland Accident Law Blog
In Smithsburg, Maryland two children were seriously injured this week in a car accident at the intersection of Smithsburg Leitersburg Road and Rowe Road.
Audrey Marie Partlow, 41, was driving the car that the children, along with another juvenile passenger, were riding in when their vehicle collided with another vehicle, driven by Douglas Allen McCall II, 34.
Partlow, McCall, and the three juveniles, a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year old were treated at Washington County Hospital.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Board says that vehicle-related accidents are the number one cause of accidental, injury-related deaths, and children who are not wearing a safety belt or seated in a car seat are more likely to become injured or die in a car accident.
According to Safekids.org, if you are with a child who has been injured in an auto accident, it is important to call an ambulance if you notice that:
-The child is or has been unconscious.
– The child has vomited or seems drowsy after an accident.
– The child is having trouble breathing.
– You cannot stop the bleeding from a cut.
– The child is in severe pain.
– The child is bleeding from an ear.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers the following safety tips for riding in cars with children:
· Everybody needs a child safety seat, booster seat, or safety belt.
· There must be one safety belt for each person. Buckling two people, even children, into one belt could injure both.
· People who are not buckled up can be thrown from the car or around inside the car and seriously hurt themselves or others.
· Never hold a child on your lap. You could crush him/her in a crash, or the child may be torn from your arms.
· Never ride in the cargo area of a station wagon, van, or pickup. Anyone riding in the cargo area could be thrown out and severely injured or killed.
· No one seat is ‘best.’ The ‘best’ child safety seat is the one that fits your child and can be installed correctly.
· Children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in the back.
The law firm of Lebowitz and Mzhen handles personal injury cases in the Maryland and Washington D.C. areas. Among the areas we cover are injuries as a result of car accidents and injuries that occur to minors due to someone else’s negligence. Contact Lebowitz and Mzhen for a free consultation.
Children Injured In Smithsburg Crash, Herald-Mail Online.com
Transportation Safety Tips For Children, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
Safety Statistics, Kidsread.net
Child Accident Prevention, medic8.com
Related Web Resources:
Staying Safe In The Car and On The Bus, Kidshealth.org
The Facts about Road Accidents and Children