Hardison & Cochran Blog

Hardison & Cochran Blog: North Carolina Personal Injury Law Firm

  • Baby Bottle, Pacifier and Sippy Cup Injuries Investigated in Study

    May 15, 2012

    Yesterday, the Center for Behavioral Health and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital released a study of injuries associated with baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups. The data from 1991 to 2010 showed that a child under three years old visited the emergency room every four hours for injuries from the aforementioned products. More stats below:


    Most Common Product Present in Injury:
    Baby Bottles (66% of injuries)
    Pacifiers (20% of injuries)
    Sippy Cups (14% of injuries)

    Most Common Body Regions Injured: 
    Mouth (71% of injuries)
    Head, Neck, Face (20% of injuries)

    Eighty-six percent of the injuries were sustained during a fall. The Nationwide's Children website has the following quote from one of the study's authors Sarah Keim PhD, MA, MS: “Two-thirds of injuries examined in our study were to one-year-old children who are just learning to walk and more prone to falls.” If you have a baby in the family, make sure he or she is sitting when using one of these products. While every injury might not be avoided, making sure of this will without a doubt cut down on ER visits in the future.   

    “Educating parents and caregivers about the importance of transitioning their children away from these products at the ages recommended by the AAP and AAPD could prevent up to 80 percent of the injuries related to baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups,” said Lara McKenzie, PhD, who served as Keim's partner on the study.

    Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
    6-12 months: wean babies off pacifiers
    12-15 months: transition from bottle to cup

    Additional Reading:
    Baby Bottles, Pacifiers, Sippy Cups Can Injure (US News: Health)
    Bottles, binkies and sippy cups: Dr. Nancy Snyderman's safety tips for parents with young children (MSNBC)
    Beware Bottles, Binkies and Sippy Cups (Washington Post)

    Photo Credit: mueritz via Flickr Creative Commons
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  • 14 Lawn Care Safety Tips For Your Family

    May 14, 2012

    Some people see yard work as a chore they must do. Others take pleasure in keeping their yards in tip-top condition. Either way you go about it, safety, as always, comes into play. Below are 14 tips to stay safe as you and your family take care of the lawn and landscaping duties this spring and summer.

    1. Wear protective clothing such as jeans, pants, boots and sunglasses. A majority of lawn care injuries occur by simply not being protected.

    2. Turn off the lawn mower before you gas it back up.

    3. Never leave lawn care equipment running while you are not around to operate it.

    4. Do not let children or animals around you while you are performing your yard duties. Also, do not let children ride along with you if you have a riding mower.

    5. If you need your lawn mower blade sharpened, take it to a professional.

    6. Do not take a riding mower across a steep incline. It can cause you to lose control and roll over.

    7. If you are using a push behind mower, always keep all four wheels on the ground.

    8. If you use an electric mower, never use it when it is wet or raining.

    9. Make sure you clean off the top of your mower. If grass accumulates on top and you continue to mow, the engine heat could ignite a fire.

    10. Make all height adjustments to the mower while it is off.

    11. When you are finished mowing, let the engine cool down before you begin your cleaning process.

    12. Walk around your yard and pick up any debris (small rocks, limbs, etc) before you mow.

    13. If an injury occurs, stop mowing and treat the injury. If professional help is needed to treat the injury, call 911 or go to the emergency room as soon as possible.

    14. Make sure all your law mower fuel is stored properly in approved containers.       

    More Safety Tips: 

    * Photo courtesy of Patrick Hoesly via Flickr Creative Commons.
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  • Los Angeles Times Columnist Suggests Beefing Up Social Security Benefits

    April 25, 2012

    Yesterday, we ran a story about the annual trustee report released about the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. Michael Hiltzik, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, says those who want to strengthen Social Security have come to "dread" this day in his April 25th column, "Let's Beef Up Social Security Benefits Instead of Cutting Them." He goes on to mention that the day is used more for "hand-wringing" which leads to people to call for a of cut benefits in the system.

    He reminds those who may be on edge due to the news that the program isn't "insolvent" or "bankrupt" and even if Congress does absolutely nothing, there will still be enough to pay out 75% of benefits in 2033. Also, an economic recovery would certainly would improve the systems fiscal condition.

    The above is only a small portion of what Mr. Hilztik writes in his column. After the introduction of Monday's announcement, he goes into why he thinks Social Security should be beefed up and all the talk of cuts in the system should be hushed. He doesn't waste time getting into the discussion either. From Mr. Hiltzik's column:

    "Yes, you heard me right. It's time to shut down the talk of cutting benefits, which serves nobody, and pump up the volume on making them better."

    If you would like to check out exactly where Mr. Hilztik suggests Social Security should be beefed up, please read the full column on the Los Angeles Times website by clicking here.
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  • Social Security Trust Fund Estimated to Run Dry by 2033

    April 24, 2012

    Each year, trustees that oversee the Social Security trust fund release a report that shares the financial health of the program. According to the 2012 report, which was released yesterday, the trust fund will run dry by 2033. The year projected is three years earlier than projected last year.

    The main cause of the earlier projection is due to high energy costs and the suppression of workers' wages. Experts see these trends only continuing in years to come. In addition, experts predict that workers will be working fewer hours in the future which will lower  payroll tax receipts. Payroll tax receipts support the Social Security trust fund, therefore, if there are fewer workers working fewer hours, there will be fewer dollars being put into the fund.

    All of the above is true for both Social Security funds combined. Social Security is split up into two funds. One fund for retirement and survivor benefits and one for disability. Own it's own, the retirement fund is expected to run out by 2035 and the disability fund by 2016.

    Additional Reading:
    Social Security Quickly Dwindling (The Tennessean)
    Social Security and Medicare Could Run Out Sooner Than Expected (ABC News Blog)
    Is Social Securty Exhausted? Not at all (Reuters)
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  • April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

    April 18, 2012

    Distracted driving has been in the news a lot here lately. Not only nationally, but on a local level with the passing of an ordinance in Chapel Hill in March. Here is an interesting note from fastlane.dot.gov, which is the official blog of the US Secretary of Transportation. The last line has been bolded for emphasis.

    In California, where texting and talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving are against the law, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies will crack down on drivers text messaging and talking on their cell phones behind the wheel.  Is the California law working? Just two years after the state's ban went into effect, road fatalities had fallen 22 percent.

    While state transportation divisions and local organizations get the word out about distracted driving, you can most certainly amplify their reach by speaking with your family about distracted driving. If you have teenage drivers in the household, let them know that that one text to their friend saying "lol", no matter the situation, is just not worth it. If notice your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, sister, brother, uncle, nephew, niece, grandmother or grandfather texting or being distracted while driving, let them know you're worried about their safety. A million TV commercials, print ads or radio spots will not come close to the impact a family member or friend has on the actions of a person.

    Texting and talking while in the act of driving are filling the news wire these days, but remember that there are other ways to be distracted while driving. Eating a cheeseburger, putting on make-up, trying to read a newspaper, looking at yourself in the mirror, trying to write down information as you drive, etc.

    Let's all work together to make the roads safer this April and moving forward in 2012.


    * Picture courtesy of samantha celera via Flickr Creative Commons 
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