According to an article published by the Los Angeles Times:

“The bathtub is usually not thought of as a hazard zone. But a study published today in the journal Pediatrics shows that slips and falls in the bathtub cause more than 43,000 injuries to children each year in the United States. Burns from scalding water and drowning can certainly occur in the bathtub, but more than 80% of bathtub injuries involving children are due to slips, trips and falls. The most frequently injured body part is the face, followed by the head or neck. And more than half of the cases involved children age 4 and younger.

The author of the study, Dr. Gary A. Smith from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, suggests that injuries could be dramatically reduced if people use nonslip mats or coatings in bathtubs and showers. But he adds that bathtub safety products should be reevaluated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to increase the slip-resistance requirements. The current method for evaluating bath safety products is “arbitrary” and “clearly flawed,” the report said.”

As can be seen, there are several flaws with the typical bathtub setup.  Even products that are meant to prevent these situations do not appear to be performing at a proper level.  If you or someone you love has been injured in a slip and fall due to faulty safety products or an improperly maintained bathtub, you need to contact the slip and fall lawyers at the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

“The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed in January 2008 on behalf of Elaine Stinson against Leisure Palms, where Stinson had been a resident. The two-week trial ended Monday in Vista Superior Court.

In October 2006, Stinson – then 82 – was placed at the six-bed facility by her husband, Alvin, who was 10 years older. She suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and was recovering from hip surgery.

According to the lawsuit, Elaine Stinson fell at Leisure Palms on Dec. 31, 2006, and suffered a head contusion, broken ribs and a punctured lung. Caregivers at the Morro Road facility placed her in bed but did not immediately call her doctor or family.

The next morning, her husband found her nonresponsive. He called 911 and Stinson was taken to a hospital where she underwent surgery.

Stinson recovered over the next 10 months in a nursing facility. She now lives in an elder-care facility in Murrieta. Her husband died in 2007.”

Unfortunately, cases like this one are becoming all too common as the pool of quality employees for this type of work remains shallow at best.  If you or someone you love has been injured in an elder-care facility, contact the personal injury lawyers at the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.

A boy got his foot stuck in the escalator at the airport the other day, and this marks the third time this has happened at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

“Four-year-old Andrew Skelton has adjusted well to the fact that for the forseeable future, he will remain in a cast and cannot put any weight on his right foot.

“All five toes are cut to the bone, two broken,” said the boy’s mother, Belinda Skelton.

She says the shoes are to blame.

Two weeks ago, she was traveling with her sons through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, going down an escalator.

Imagine her horror learning that the same thing happened again to a little boy traveling with his family in Hartsfield’s Concourse T. All escalators n the airport have a number of warning signs, but none specifically about Crocs-style shoes.

“We do believe that our escalators are as safe as any other airports, malls or any other structure in the world — the only difference is we have 89 million people come through each year,” said Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Herschel Grangent.

Worldwide, there have been more than 100 reported accidents like Andrew’s. The company that makes Crocs recently announced it will add a specific escalator warning to all shoes by next spring.”

In the meantime, people are encouraged to evaluate their legal rights if they’ve been involved in this sort of situation.