School Sports Safety

School Sports Safety

Now that school is back in session here in metro Atlanta, its time for school sports activities to start back up as well! School sports teams provide great exercise for kids and teens, and are a great way for kids to make new friends. Participating in school sports is also helpful in teaching kids how to contribute toward a team effort and valuable leadership skills.

Of course, as parents, we always worry about our children and team sports do come with certain risks. Although school sports are generally safe activities, any kind of physical activity can pose certain risks.

Here are some school sports safety tips to ensure that your children stay safe!

  • Warm-up! Warming up the muscles and getting them loosened up can help prevent injuries. Some light cardio and stretching is great for warming up! This tip isn’t just for school sports- its generally a good idea for a person of any age to warm up before doing any kind of physical activity.
  • Drink water! Hydration is key in preventing injuries and illness due to over exertion and heat related illness. Not only will encouraging hydration during school sports help your school athletes to stay safe, it will also help promote healthy life long behaviors.
  • Wear proper equipment! Although protective equipment can be cumbersome and be deemed “uncool” by your kids, its vital to keeping your kids safe during sporting activities! Helmets, goggles, mouth guards, etc. are all designed to help protect your kids from serious injuries. Its important that you check all protective gear to make sure its in good condition. If not, it can seriously compromise the effectiveness of the equipment and it should be replaced immediately.

For more information about school sports safety, you can visit the National Center for Sports Safety website.

If you have a child who has been injured in a sports related accident, call Kyle today at (770) 744-5250 for your free consultation. There are many things that can cause a sports related accident, and Kyle has the experience necessary to help you and your child.

 

Teenage Drivers: Driving Safety Tips

Teenage Drivers: Driving Safety Tips

I’m sure you can all remember the day that your teenage children were born. It goes by so fast and seems like just yesterday. You’ve taught them to read and write, and you’ve seen them grow up. Now, its time to teach them to be responsible drivers. Having your teenage driver take a driving safety course is a great way to teach them good driving habits. Today’s society is saturated with technology that is presenting teen drivers with all kinds of distractions.

Here are some tips for teaching your teen to drive safely:

  1. Selfies- Driving and taking a selfie is NEVER a good idea. Even if you’re stopped at a red light or stop sign, taking a selfie can dangerously distract you from what’s going on. According to a CNN article written in late 2013, driving and selfie’ing is scarily popular. At the time, there were close to 4,000 posts on Instagram under the hashtag “drivingselfie”. Today, there are almost 30,000. Clearly, this is a dangerous trend that is on the rise.
  2. Set a good example- Its so hard, even as adults, to avoid looking at our phones and checking emails, calendars, and texts. Studies have shown that new drivers have significantly fewer accidents when there is a responsible adult in the car. Because you can’t be with your teen driver all the time, you can do your best to ensure safe driving habits by setting good habits yourself.
  3. Eating- Unfortunately, we all have busy schedules and nearly everyone ends up eating in their car at some point. Similar to texting while driving or taking a selfie while driving, eating while driving is distracting. Eating while driving can increase your teen’s chance of having an accident by up to 80%.
  4. Driving costs- Discussing the monetary costs involved with having a car and driving with your teen can help them take it more seriously. Talking about car insurance, car payments, and gas- and perhaps even sharing the cost with your teen driver- may be a much needed reality check.

 

 

If you or someone you know has been the victim of an auto accident due to distracted driving or a teen driver, call Kyle today for your free consultation at (770) 744-5250.

 

Steps After A Car Accident From A Car Accident Lawyer

Steps To Take After A Car Accident 

Getting in a car accident is something no one wants to experience. Unfortunately, many of us will. According to The Georgia Office Of Highway Safety, there were over 1,000 reported car crashes in 2012. Even a small car crash can impact your day and your life in a huge way. Oftentimes its hard to think logically and rationally after a car crash. Here are a few steps to take after a car crash to help you feel more in control.

  • Check for injuries- Make sure to stop, breathe, and take a second to see if you or anyone else has been injured. Make sure to check all drivers involved and any passengers, including pets. If you feel any pain at all, make sure to have a medical professional check you out, even if you feel that your pain is minor. Some injuries may not present themselves immediately but can cause problems for you in the future.
  • Find witnesses- No matter how small or large your accident is, find someone who witnessed it and get their contact information. Witnesses can be very helpful in providing information to the police and attorneys regarding the facts of your car accident.
  • Take pictures and videos- While eye witness testimony is great, having pictures and videos can help solidify details of your car accident. Using the camera on your smartphone, take pictures and videos of the accident from all different angles. Its also helpful to take videos of the street around you to show direction of travel.
  • Exchange information- Make sure to exchange information with all other drivers involved in the car accident. Make sure you have their full name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, insurance information, license plate number, make and model of the car, and who the owner of the car is. If there are passengers involved, make sure to get their name and phone number, as well. A quick and accurate way to get all this information is to take pictures on your phone of any documents they give you (driver’s license, insurance card, license plate, etc.).
  • Contact a lawyer- Make sure you contact an experienced car accident lawyer. A lawyer will be able to help you sort out what happened, how it has affected you, and what steps you need to take.

If you’ve been in a car accident and need advice on what to do next from a car accident lawyer, contact Kyle today at (770) 744-5250 for your free, expert consultation.

 

Pool Safety Tips For Winter

Pool Safety Tips For Winter

As summer nears its end, its time to start thinking about preparing your pool for the off season. Even though you may not swim in your pool during the fall and winter months, it can still pose a risk to you and especially your small children. There are a few steps you can take to make your pool safer for your children while its not in use. Taking these steps is very important- according to the CDC, most children between the ages of 1 and 4 who drown, drown in a home swimming pool.

Follow these pool safety tips for winter to avoid serious injury or death-

  • Cover your pool- Having a quality winter pool that is in good shape is important. A sturdy, high quality pool cover will generally keep a person out of the water should they fall on top of the cover. However, it is imperative that you let your children know they should never try to walk on the cover.
  • Check your pool cover frequently- Make sure you visually inspect your cover often. The cover needs to be in working order and cover your entire pool. Any rips, tears, or holes should be fixed immediately as they can impair the effectiveness of the cover.
  • Store your toys and floats- If you aren’t going to be using your pool, store all toys and floats away and out of sight. This can prevent your children from being drawn towards the pool as well as prevent accidentally tripping and falling.
  • Fencing- The best way to prevent any accidents in or near your pool is to put a fence around it with a self closing, self latching gate.
  • Active monitoring- If you have small children and they are outside, one of the best ways to keep them safe is to be proactive in monitoring them. If you are nearby, you can prevent them from getting too close to the pool. If they do happen to get too close and fall in, you’ll be right there to help them.

Pools are, without a doubt, a family friendly way to have fun and stay cool all summer. Although they do pose some risks, these risks are easily avoidable by following some safety guidelines.

If you, your child, or someone you know has been hurt in or near a pool, call Kyle today at (770) 744-5250 for your free consultation.

 

 

Bicycle Safety Tips

Bicycle Safety Tips

Depending on your location in the state of Georgia, bike riding can be an activity that you enjoy for a majority of the year. In the metro Atlanta area, we generally have pleasant weather outdoors for 7-9 months out of the year. Bike riding can be an activity for the whole family to enjoy together. Even my young kids enjoy bike riding with the rest of the family.

Although bike riding is a great outdoor activity, it does come with risks. Safety should be your top priority when bike riding, as bicycle accidents can be very common. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012 726 bicyclists were killed and 40,000 were injured in the United States.
Here are some safety tips that should be followed when bike riding to help keep you and your family safe:
  • Avoid the sidewalk- While it may seem safer to ride your bike on the sidewalk, it can actually be more dangerous. On the sidewalk you have the risk of running into pedestrians and pedestrians with dogs. You also may encounter a car parked in a driveway that’s obstructing your path, or a car turning into a driveway may not see you riding down the sidewalk.
  • Make sure you’re visible- Wearing brightly colored, reflective clothing will help you stand out from anything around you. Also, wearing a headlight will help you be seen easier by drivers on the road.
  • Ride on the right side of the road- Make sure you’re riding with the flow of traffic, as this greatly reduces your risk of injury. By riding towards oncoming traffic, drivers have less time to react if they have drifted into your bike lane.

Biking is a great outdoor family activity, but it does come with risks. Make sure you are riding your bike defensively, and don’t ever assume the driver of a car sees you. Following these bicycle safety tips can greatly reduce the risk of injury for you and your family.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle accident, make sure to give Kyle a call at (770) 744-5250 for your free consultation.

 

 

 

Car Crash Injuries

Car Crash Injuries

If you’ve gotten into a car crash, chances are that you received some kind of injury. Despite advancement in car safety features, injuries are incredibly common if you get into an accident. Fortunately, many injuries from vehicle accidents are not severe, but vehicle accident injuries do range from minor to very serious. Although every accident is different, there are several types of injuries that result from accidents frequently.

  • Soft Tissue Injuries- These injuries can present themselves in many different forms. The most common form is whiplash. When your head is suddenly thrown in a direction beyond its normal range, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments can be damaged. Whiplash can present itself as something minor like a sore neck, or something as severe as a spinal cord injury. Soft tissue injuries can take several days to heal or several years.
  • Scrapes and Cuts- Many times during a car accident there is shattered glass, which can result in scrapes and cuts on the driver or passengers. Scrapes and cuts can also result from loose objects flying in the car, or contact with the steering wheel or dashboard. While some scrapes and cuts may be minor, others may require stitches.
  • Head injuries- If your head gets thrown against your steering wheel, window, headrest, or airbag during a vehicle accident you may suffer from a head injury. If you hit your head hard enough, you could suffer from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A TBI can be something minor like a concussion, or it can be severe and cause permanent brain damage.
  • Chest injuries- Chest injuries are very common due to proper seat belt usage. A chest injury can also be sustained if you hit your chest on your steering wheel or airbag. While most chest injuries are minor, they can result in fractured rips or internal organ damage.
  • Arm & Leg Injuries- Broken arms and legs are very common in car accidents. Because your arms and legs aren’t strapped down like the rest of you, its very common for them to fly around during a crash. Although most arm and leg injuries are minor, they can still be quite detrimental if you rely on your arms and legs to do your job.

If you have been in an accident, make sure you see a doctor. t’s also a good idea to talk to an experienced car crash lawyer who can help you determine what options you have for getting compensation for your injuries as a result of a car accident.

Pool Safety Tips

Pool Safety Tips

Summer is here, but the start of the school year is quickly approaching. Everyone is trying to squeeze as much fun into the remainder of the summer as possible, which includes lots of pool time! Making sure that your family and friends can swim safely should be a top priority. Here are some pool safety tips to follow to make sure that you, your family, and your friends aren’t victims of a summer pool accident.

-Make sure to watch your children closely anytime they are near a pool or hot tub

-Keep a cell phone close by. In case there is an accident, you can call 911 quickly.

-Learn how to swim and teach your children how to swim from an early age

-Learn CPR

-Install a fence (at least 4 feet high) around your pool and hot tub that includes a self closing and self latching gate

-Use a surface cover

-Make sure all drains are properly covered

By following these tips you can safely enjoy your pool all summer long.

If you or someone you know has been injured due to an accident in or near an unsafe pool, call Kyle today at (770) 744-5250 for your free consultation.

Summertime Grilling Safety

Summertime Grilling Safety

Summer is in full swing, which means many of us are camping, going to the pool and the beach, and spending more time outdoors. With all these outdoor activities, comes one of America’s favorite pastimes- grilling! Grilling is a great way to enjoy summertime with your family and friends.

grilling safety tips

Although grilling can be a fun way to spend some quality time with your family and friends, it does come with its hazards. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 27% of home structure fires involving grills started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, and 29% started on an exterior balcony or open porch.

By following these tips, you can safely enjoy grilling all summer long!

  1. Keep your grill clean to prevent grease fires.
  2. Keep your starter fluid stored closed and stored away from any heat sources.
  3. Do not use any starter method that is not recommended for grilling.
  4. Don’t grill indoors.
  5. Keep your grill a safe distance away from structures that can catch on fire.
  6. Keep a close eye on kids to make sure they don’t get too close to the grill.
  7. Make sure you have a plan for putting out a grill fire in case one does occur.

Be sure to follow these tips in order to avoid any injuries from grilling. If you have been injured as a result of a fire, call us today at (770) 744-5250 for a free consultation.