jump to navigation

Child Safety Seats April 9, 2009

Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in Personal Injury Law, Wisconsin Auto Accidents.
Tags: , , ,
add a comment

I was surprised at the small number of states that require children to ride in the back seat.  To me it seems like common sense.  Wisconsin requires that children under the age of 3 be in a rear seat, if available.

The info provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a good visual of the age at which children must be in a restraint or booster seat.

In Wisconsin those who must be in a safety seat are:

children younger than 1 and all children who weigh less than 20 pounds are required to be in a rear-facing infant seat; children 1 through 3 years who weigh at least 20 pounds but less than 40 pounds are required to be in a forward-facing child safety seat; children 4 through 7 who both weigh at least 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds and who are less than 57 inches tall are required to be in a booster seat

Simply an adult safety belt is permissible in Wisconsin if the child is:

8 years and younger and more than 80 pounds and 57 inches or taller

Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in West Allis, Sheboygan,  Plymouth,  and Germantown.

If you’d like to submit a question or case please complete a case submission form.

Bisphenol A (BPA) More Prevelant Than You Think November 16, 2008

Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in FAQ Personal Injury, Personal Groth, Personal Injury Law.
Tags: , , ,
add a comment

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s lead story today talks about Bisphenol A (BPA).  I bet most people without kids aren’t aware of the controversy over BPA.  Long story short, there is a concern over BPA’s effect on fetal and infant brain development and behavior.

In April, 2008 Canada stated it intended to ban the sale, import and advertisement of baby bottles containing BPA.   Since then there has been scores of stories and reports on the dangers of BPA and the prevalence of BPA. 

There are two sides to every story.  Here is the Food and Drug Administration’s official statement:

FDA is not recommending that anyone discontinue using products that contain BPA while we continue our risk assessment process. However, concerned consumers should know that several alternatives to polycarbonate baby bottles exist, including glass baby bottles

Today’s story is news because it highlights some of the common household items that contain BPA.  And the report that simply microwaving or dishwashing items with BPA releases the chemical. 

The story reports:

Products marketed for infants or billed as “microwave safe” release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated, an analysis by the Journal Sentinel has found.

Read the story and check out the pdfs attached.  But, like always, be sure to read it carefully.  The pdf entitled “How to avoid bisphenol A” talks about the relative safety of plastics marked with 1 PETE, 2 HDPE, 4 LDPE, and 5 PP describing them as “safer.” 

Yet, the story on JSOnline.com states:

Food companies advise parents worried about BPA to avoid microwaving food in plastic containers, especially those with the recycling No. 7 stamped on the bottom.

But the Journal Sentinel’s testing found BPA leaching from containers with different recycling numbers, including Nos. 1, 2 and 5.

Check out your kitchen cupboards.  We bought glass bottles for our little one.  Why take the risk?

UPDATE: Check out this US News Article from September about how to avoid BPA.

Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in West Allis, Sheboygan,  Plymouth,  and  Germantown.

If you’d like to submit a question or case please complete a case submission form.

Speaking of Cribs June 27, 2008

Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in Personal Groth.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

What a coincidence!  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled the Stanley Furniture Company’s 2nd Nature Built to Grow Crib set. When the mattress support is in the middle setting the space between the middle mattress and the crib posses an entrapment hazard for infants.  In other words kids could get their head stuck in the crib and suffocate.

The CPSC has pictures of the crib on its website.

Be safe. If you own this crib make arrangements for your child to sleep somewhere else right away.  It’s not worth the risk of injury.

http://www.jonpgroth.com

Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in Crivitz, Kenosha, Janesville and Wauwatosa.

And Now About Bassinets. June 26, 2008

Posted by Attorney Jonathan Groth in FAQ Personal Injury.
Tags: , , ,
1 comment so far

WebMD’s story about bassinet safety is a little disturbing.

First, Kelley Colihan the author states that “more and more families” are using bassinets but doesn’t give any stats.  That fine because the stats she gives later on our shocking.

Between 1990 and 2004 the Consumer Product Safety Commission studied all infant deaths that involved bassinets.

  1. 85% of infant deaths were the result of suffocation;
  2. 74% of the bassinets had blankets, pillows, or PLASTIC BAGS in them;
  3. 37% of the babies had been placed face-down to sleep;
  4. 50% of the babies were found in their bassinets face down;
  5. 9% were due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
  6. 9 of the infants died because the bassinet had a mechanical problem or weren’t used properly. (I’m assuming a product liability type situation)

I can’t understand why anyone would place a plastic bag in their child’s bassinet.  Come on people.  A little common sense goes a long way!

I have two young boys.  Were were told from day one ‘face up to wake up’ and “face up for safety.’  I also remember getting pamphlets regarding what not to put in a crib, bassinet etc.  The simple answer was: Nothing. Don’t put anything in your kid’s crib or bassinet.

Again, just remember use common sense when trying to get your kids to sleep.  And certainly don’t put plastic bags in your kids cribs or bassinets!

If there is a mechanical problem with the bassinet or crib give me a call.  I’d be happy to discuss whether the bassinet or crib company didn’t use their common sense when they designed it.

www.jonpgroth.com

Jon Groth is a Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney handling cases throughout Wisconsin and most recently in Oconto, Racine, Janesville and Wauwatosa.