Textual Harassment – Takes Abusive Relationships to New Depths
Scary statement: “Parents don’t know this is going on whatsoever.”
What’s “this“?
It’s a form of abuse and bullying called textual harassment. And, it’s dangerous. Abusive relationships have been around a really long time, and technology now makes the abuse much easier. Harassers can, and do, send hundreds of text messages a day, at any time of the day and night, which are threatening, intrusive or full of lies.
But, the problem isn’t just with text messaging. According to an article in The Washington Post, textual harassment is only one part of abusive relationships. Kasey Kirkland, a victim services specialist with the Fairfax County Police Department, says that “the advances in technology are assisting the perpetrators in harassing and stalking and threatening their victims.”
The message for parents and friends is the same as always, but every bit as important:
1. Start early: Set boundaries about cell phone use and stick to them. Teens don’t need to have a cell phone with them while they (try to) sleep at night. Many of the harassing and abusive text messages come during the night when your teen should feel safe at home, asleep in her bed.
2. Don’t be afraid of arguments and fights. Sometimes the biggest fights will be about what is most important — keeping your teenager safe.
3. Stay in touch with your teen. Promise her that all she has to do is let you know she needs a new phone with a different number, and she’ll get it.
4. Let her know that she doesn’t have to be afraid of what you’ll say. Promise. Mean it.
5. If you see or hear something that just doesn’t “add up,” don’t wait. Take action.
Another Baby Sling Recalled – Risk of Suffocation
Sprout Stuff has recalled its popular baby sling in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) due to the risk of suffocation. One newborn baby has reportedly died due to suffocation in this specific sling. The CPSC issued a warning on March 12, 2010 about all baby slings. Several other slings have also been recalled, including Infantino SlingRider in March 2010. The full list can be found here.
If you own one of these slings, quit using it immediately.
These slings are dangerous for two separate reasons: the positioning of the child in the sling and the child’s lack of muscle strength. Both of these dangers can result in the suffocation of the child.
1. In the first situation, the infant’s face is in contact with the sling’s fabric. Since the baby does not have the neck muscles to move away from the fabric yet, the fabric can cover the nose and mouth and block the child from breathing. If that happens, the baby would suffocate rapidly due to the lack of intake of oxygen.
2. In the second situation, the child is positioned in a curled position with the chin facing the chest which restricts her airways. In this case, the child is unable to cry for help because of the reduced oxygen intake. If she remains in this position, she will thus suffocate slowly.
These dangers are serious and cannot be fixed, so the CPSC and Sprout Stuff have not issued repair instructions for the sling.
Officials are continuing to collect incident reports of cases involving this and other similar products. If you have an incident to report, please visit: https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.
Is There A Link Between Paxil & Birth Defects?
I did not write the bulk of this post. I got this message from a lawyer I know in Dallas, Texas, Jeff Rasansky. Jeff Rasansky’s firm represents injured people in all kinds of cases. I am posting his message here because it is important to women who take Paxil and their families. THERE MAY BE A LINK BETWEEN A PREGNANT WOMAN’S USE OF PAXIL AND BIRTH DEFECTS. Here’s the message from Jeff Rasansky:
At the Rasansky Law Firm, we are dedicated to doing everything we can to inform and protect those close to us. Because of this, we feel it’s important to alert you to some very real concerns about the use of Paxil and its role in birth defects and death.
GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Paxil, has been found guilty of marketing and recommending their drug to women who are pregnant, even though studies have shown that it may cause severe birth defects in children.
Unfortunately, mothers were never made aware of this and now there are thousands of children that have been born with a number of different defects because of this horrible side effect.
If you have a child that suffered a birth injury as a result of taking Paxil, or its generic versions, even if it was only a small amount or a short period of time, you and your child may be eligible for damages from several class action lawsuits against the makers and distributors of Paxil.
Cases have already been won against the makers of Paxil across the country, and damages are being awarded for an average of $4 million.
The costs of a birth injury can often be wildly expensive, not to mention the lifelong injury to your child and your family.
I know that no amount of money can take back the pain and suffering that this drug may have caused, but it is imperative to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable when they put profits ahead of you and your child’s safety.
If you feel that you or a loved one has a claim, please contact us today so that we can discuss your situation and your options moving forward.
As always, thank you for trusting us a source of legal, health and safety information.
Jeff Rasansky
jeff.rasansky@jrlawfirm.com
Will Your Window Screens Keep Your Child IN? NO!
Window screens are designed to keep bugs out, but you cannot rely on them to keep your child indoors.
An adult pushing on a screen may conclude it would keep a child from falling out the window. Don’t count on it. Children have an amazing way of getting past barriers in ways beyond our imagination.
And, don’t think your child is too short to reach the window sill. Even a very young child figures out early on how to move a chair and climb up on it to get where she wants.
Here are some tips from Safe Kids USA about preventing falls from windows:
Top Tips to Prevent Window Falls
* Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of windows. For windows above the first floor, install window guards with an emergency release device in case of fire.
* Install window stops so that windows open no more than four inches.
* Keep windows locked and closed when they are not being used.
* Keep furniture away from windows so kids cannot climb to the ledge.
* If you have double-hung windows — the kind that can open down from the top as well as up from the bottom — it is generally safer to open the top pane, but growing kids may have enough strength, dexterity and curiosity to open the bottom pane.
* Do not rely on window screens to prevent falls.
* Keep windows locked when they are closed.
* Supervise children at all times, especially around open windows.
Sometimes, though, even when a parent does everything right, a young child falls out of a screened window because the screen was in poor repair or installed incorrectly or faulty in its design. If your child or a child you know was injured from a fall through a window screen, consult a Virginia child injury lawyer who can give you accurate information about whether your child has a claim for her injuries. Not every fall from a window is the fault of someone else, but some are. A Virginia child injury lawyer can evaluate the facts and advise you whether there is an at-fault person who could accountable for your child’s injuries.
I will be happy to answer your questions. Call me at 703-273-9500, send me an email at srohrstaff@wrsattorneys.com, or a fax to 703-273-9505. There is no charge for the consultation.
Free Pamphlet – How the Law Treats Your Teenager Now That She’s Turned 18
If your teenager is about to become an “adult” — that is, is about to turn 18 years old — he or she needs to know how the laws affect their new adult status. The Virginia State Bar has a free pamphlet with information about the new adult’s rights and responsibilities.
It’s called So You’re 18 and addresses issues that new adults need to know and think about — employment, voting, drunk driving, marriage, military service, for example. It’s not riveting reading (it’s written by lawyers, after all), but it is written so that real people can understand it.
You can download a pdf of the pamphlet from the VSB website, or you can call/write/email me, and I’ll send you a hard copy. It’s free.
Sandra Rohrstaff, 10605 Judicial Drive, #B6, Fairfax, Virginia 20030; 703-273-9500; srohrstaff@wrsattorneys.com
Easy Way for Your Teen to Mess Up Her Job Prospects
Social media. Want to know what that means? Ask your teen. If she’s not on it, all her friends are, and they spend lots of time posting pictures and stories and sharing them with their friends — and with people they don’t even know. Including prospective employers.
And, being teenagers, sometimes they or their friends use bad judgment in what they put on their social media sites. In this case, though, their decisions could have long-range effects.
Here’s a link to a recent blog posting by the publisher of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly. The blog was based on a story that appeared in the U.S.News & World Report of the “5 Do’s and Don’ts for College Students Using Social Media.”
The short message is that prospective employers look at social media to find out what your teen is posting about herself and her friends. And, once it’s out there, it’s out there. Your teen may think the picture her friend posted of her doing something stupid was removed, but it’s still out there somewhere, and savvy employers are watching.
Savvy lawyers are watching, too. I have used social media to find out about a drunk driver who seriously injured a teenager. I found all kinds of postings on Facebook and My Space, all involving alcohol. That information will help when it’s time for me to talk to the young man under oath.
Can you get your child out of the house if it is burning?
I was recently in a hotel room in Norfolk, Virginia, where I was staying while attending a conference of lawyers and judges from all over Virginia. As I often do in the morning when I’m out of town, I turned on the local TV news while I was getting dressed.
The images of a burned-out house appeared, and I heard the voice of a reporter telling the story of how the people who lived in the house, three adults and three children, were saved during the night when the house caught on fire because the house was equipped with WORKING smoke detectors.
How are your smoke detectors? They only save lives if they work.
Are you prepared to get your children out of the house in case it is burning — especially in the night when you are all asleep? What if your child cannot get herself out without assistance? SafeKids USA has a website with all kinds of information to help keep children safe, including information about fire safety that could save your lives.
Here is a link to a video about testing your home’s smoke alarms.
Here’s another link to a video about fire safety for families with children who are visually or hearing impaired.
The same site has another video about fire safety for families with children who are immobile.
Free Bike Helmet Giveaway
Bike helmets save lives. We want children to be safe when they ride their bikes, so we announced in our most recent newsletter our FREE BICYCLE HELMET GIVEAWAY. We offered our newsletter subscribers a free child’s bike helmet for any child who needs one.
Trudi Hays, who lives in Herndon, Virginia, stepped forward and asked for two helmets for young neighbors. She got them.
If you live in Virginia and know a child who needs a bike helmet, call me at 703-273-9500 to sign up for our newsletter and let us know that you want a bike helmet for a child. We’ll put you on our list and also send you April’s newsletter, that includes a measuring tape so you can tell us the correct measurement of the child’s head.
Will Your Special Child’s Personal Injury Lawyer Screw Up the Case?
Does your child’s personal injury lawyer know whether your child ought to have a special needs trust? Unfortunately, many personal injury lawyers don’t know how a special needs trust can protect their young clients.
I recently attended a seminar sponsored by the Fairfax Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. It was eye opening! A disabled child who receives Medicaid or Social Security benefits and who also receives money from a personal injury case could lose all her benefits if her personal injury lawyer doesn’t make the right arrangements to protect them.
Every personal injury lawyer should know the answers to these questions:
1. What types of clients needs special needs trusts?
2. When should a lawyer start figuring that out?
3. Who would the lawyer call to get her clients’ special needs taken care of?
If your child’s injury lawyer doesn’t know the answer to the first question, go find another lawyer.
Here’s the answer to the second question: Immediately, at the first meeting, the lawyer should start figuring out whether the client might need a special needs trust.
True scary story. A personal injury lawyer in Texas, a friend of mine, was asked for advice on how to allocate the money the woman’s disabled father received in his personal injury case. The goal was to maintain his Medicaid and Social Security disability benefits. Big problem: Her father had already received the funds! (This was not my friend’s case.) The daughter had gotten information from the Internet about “supplemental needs trust” and “purchase of a single premium annuity.” Unfortunately, it was too late to take advantage of either of these asset protection plans. Disaster. He’ll lose his benefits and much more.
Too bad her father’s lawyer didn’t know she should call the best special needs trust lawyer in town. Now, that lawyer must tell her own malpractice insurance carrier that she screwed up that gentleman’s case.
If you are in Virginia, and your child has been seriously injured, and you want to talk to someone about whether a special needs trust or structured settlement ought to be considered, give me a call. I don’t know how to set them up, but I sure do know the best special needs trust lawyer in town. And, sometimes, that’s the best advice a lawyer can give.
My number is 703-273-9500, or you can send me an email at srohrstaff@wrsattorneys.com.
Morgan’s Wonderland – A Special Place for Special People
A wonderful for children and adults with special needs opened last weekend in San Antonio, Texas. Morgan’s Wonderland was created by Gordon Hartman whose 16-year-old daughter, Morgan, has severe cognitive delay and has faced limitations her whole life. Mr. Hartman, a retired real estate developer, decided to build a fully-accessible park so his daughter and others with special needs could experience the joy of an amusement park.
But, this park is not like other amusement parks. It is not overloaded with rides, rides and more rides. Every activity is wheelchair accessible and designed with its special visitors in mind. There is a carousel, rugged-looking jeeps that give an off-road adventure on a winding track, a fishing lake, waterworks and other sensory activities, a train that goes around the park, and specially-designed playground equipment. (The water activities will be especially popular in the hot South Texas sun.) It’s a place for the whole family. Special needs visitors get in free; others pay $5.
Hartman contributed $1 million of his own and then raised $29 million to create the 25-acre park. There’ll be no long lines, either, because the number of visitors allowed in the park at any one time is limited.
It’s the first of its kind in the world; however, it likely won’t be the only one for long. Hartman has had inquiries from all over the world.
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