Few motor vehicle accidents sicken the public more than those involving hit-and-run drivers. It’s often difficult to understand how any driver can leave injured people unattended at an accident scene. Likewise, it’s very irresponsible to damage an empty vehicle and then fail to leave your contact information so that its owner can later locate you. Yet these events happen every day. Fortunately, California laws provide specific penalties for those who commit either of these unlawful acts. While our errors can sometimes prove costly, we all need to be able to depend on each other to do the right thing.

California Motor Vehicle Code Section 20002: Hit-and-Run Property Crimes/Penalties

This section of the California Motor Vehicle Code states that once you hit another vehicle, even if no one appears to have been injured, you have a duty to stop and provide the other driver with your name and address. If asked to do so, you must also allow the other driver to see your driver’s license and a copy of your vehicle registration.

Should you ever be driving a vehicle and get into an accident when you’re not the registered owner of it, you must provide the name and address of the registered owner to the driver of the other vehicle (along with your own contact information). If you hit an unattended, parked vehicle, you still have a duty to stop and leave all of your basic contact information, including your driver’s license number, so that the vehicle’s owner can later contact you. There’s actually a duty to leave this informationin written form, in a conspicuous place such as under a windshield wiper.

Charges can be filed against anyone who fails to fully comply with the requirements set forth in Motor Vehicle Code Section 20002. You can be convicted of a misdemeanor, forced to serve up to six months in jail and even have to pay a fine that doesn’t exceed $1,000.

California’s Felony Hit-and-Run Offense: Possible Charges and Penalties

If you hit another car and one of its occupants suffers bodily injuries — and you fail to stop and render aid and provide your full contact information — the provisions of Motor Vehicle Code Section 20001 will come into play. Entitled, “Duty to Stop at Scene of Accident,” Section 20001 sets forth all of the possible penalties that can be imposed on someone who fails to stop after hitting another vehicle and injuring one or more of its occupants.

A driver who fails to stop under these circumstances can be imprisoned in a county jail or state prison for not more than one year and assessed a fine between at least $1,000 dollars and up to $10,000. If the driver who commits a felony hit-and-run accident causes “serious, permanent injury” or death to one of the occupants of the other vehicle, he or she can even be imprisoned for as long as four years in prison and heavily fined.

Hopefully, none of our readers will ever wind up becoming a victim of a hit-and-run driver. However, if that has recently occurred in your life, you should seriously consider meeting with one of our attorneys so that we can advise you about the best ways to protect all of your rights and obtain just compensation for your injuries.

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Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients for almost twenty years. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

by Elizabeth Smith

For many years, most of us thought that drunk drivers presented the greatest threat to our safety on America’s roads and freeways. Then texting drivers grabbed our attention as they kept sending out written messages to others, refusing to admit the dangerous nature of their behavior.

Now, we’ve got a rapidly growing, new crop of problem drivers out navigating the nation’s roads. Many of these people view their medical marijuana as a healing agent and not as a drug frequently used by others to simply get “high” or comfortably disoriented.

Hopefully, some of the following information will help convince many marijuana users to start handling their drugs in a safer manner. No one should have to suffer a serious traffic injury or die just because others were too lazy to wait for an extended period of time after using marijuana to drive their cars.

2004 NHTSA Study Addressed How Marijuana Use Can Affect Driving Skills

In an April 2004 report (DOT HS 809 725) entitled, “Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets,” the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) commented on how marijuana (and drugs made using its active agents) can affect a driver’s skills and abilities. (The following statements are set forth on page twelve of that publication.)

• Marijuana is the second most frequently detected psychoactive substance among driving populations;
• Cannabis or marijuana has been shown to impair performance on driver simulator tasks and on open and closed driving courses for up to approximately three hours after it’s been used.” [Emphasis added];
• The driving performances of those who have used marijuana reveal “increased reaction times, impaired time and distance estimation, inability to maintain headway . . . subjective sleepiness [and] motor incoordination,” among other problems [Emphasis added];
• Marijuana may particularly impair monotonous and prolonged driving; and
• People who have recently smoked marijuana may require an increased amount of time to evaluate situations and determine appropriate responses.

Current Statistics Regarding Marijuana Use and Driving Accidents

In a recent article published by The Los Angeles Times, writer Ralph Vartabedian looked at how marijuana smokers are impacting road safety. He says that California currently blames about 1,000 annual deaths and injuries “directly on drugged drivers.” (See: “Stoned Driving is Uncharted Territory.”)

Vartabedian also states, “Fatalities in crashes where drugs were the primary cause and alcohol was not involved jumped 55 percent over the 10 years ending in 2009.” California’s law enforcement officials attribute much of the state’s current drug usage to the medical marijuana laws passed during the last decade.

Those officials may be right. Since early 2004, California has issued more than 55,000 medical marijuana identification cards. (See: The California Department of Public Health’s Web site page entitled, “Medical Marijuana Program.”)

Future Efforts to Protect American Drivers

Unfortunately, there isn’t a current national standard for determining how much marijuana a driver can safely smoke before becoming a hazard to others. Although various states are trying to protect their citizens under different safety standards, none of them have found one single, reliable method for evaluating safe marijuana usage for their drivers.

Until much more scientific research and testing can be completed, medical marijuana users must carefully monitor their own driving habits. Everyone else must keep relying on all of our law enforcement officials to crack down a bit harder on those drivers they stop and find are clearly impaired due to their recreational use of marijuana and other drugs.

Elizabeth Smith, J.D., M.A., is a freelance writer who has successfully written about general health, safety, legal, medical and business topics for over twenty years. She has also served as the author and co-author of two professional legal texts.

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Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients for almost twenty years. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

There’s been a marked increase in the number of recalled shades and blinds during the past few years. Far too many children keep getting their necks and heads caught in the cords and drawstrings of these products while playing. Serious strangulation risks can develop in just a matter of seconds.

Roman shades are frequently involved in many of the recalls. However, roll-up blinds pose their own share of risks. To help consumers make sure they’re not still using any of these products, we’ve surveyed all of the recalls from the past few years and compiled a representative list of many of the recalled brands.

We suggest you print out this article and walk through every room in your home, making sure you can’t find any of the listed shades or blinds. Our children and seriously disabled family members are counting on us to remove all dangerous products from our homes.

The first list set forth below names the recalled shades and blinds in alphabetical order, according to the store names whether they’ve been sold exclusively. The second list names the manufacturers, in alphabetical order, of the various blinds and shades. Should you find any of these recalled products hanging in your home, we suggest you take them down immediately. (Note: We’ve posted a link to the comprehensive list of all of the CPSC recalled shades and blinds we reviewed from recent years at the end of this article.)

Exclusive Sellers of Recalled Shades and Blinds During Recent Years

• Ace Hardware/Big Lots: 2009 Recall of Roll-up Blinds manufactured by Lotus & Windoware;
• Big Lots: 2009 Recall of Matchstick Roll-up Shades by International Merchandise;
• Blair: 2010 Recall of Roman Shades;
• IKEA: (1) 2008 Recall of all Roman Blinds – A child’s death prompted this recall; (2) 2009 Recall of Roman Blinds prompted by a near strangulation; (3) 2010 Recall of all Roman Blinds and all Roll-up Blinds;
• Jo Ann Fabric and Craft Stores: 2010 Recall of all Roll-up Blinds;
• JC Penney: 2009 Recall for repair of Roman Shades and Roll-up Blinds; Recall prompted by near strangulation of child;
• Land of Nod: 2009 Recall to Repair Roman Shades made by Airtex Designs Group;
• Lowe’s Stores: 2010 Recall to repair Roman Shades and Roll-up Blinds; Recall prompted by two near child strangulations;
• Target:2009 Recall to repair Victoria Classics Roman Shades;
• Walmart:2009 Recall to repair Roll-up Blinds and Roman Shades;

Alphabetical List of Recalled Shades/Blinds by Names of Manufacturers

• American Vintage Group: 2009 Recall to repair Faux Wood Blinds;
• Draper Inc: 2009 Recall of Roman Shades;
• Ethan Allen: 2010 Recall to repair Roman Shades;
• Hanover Direct/Domestications: 2010 Recall of Roman Shades, Roll-up Blinds and Roller Blinds; Recall prompted by the strangulation death of a child;
• Lutron Electronics: 2010 Recall to repair Roman Shades;
• Oriental Furniture: 2010 Recall to repair Roman Shades and Roll-up Blinds;
• Smith & Noble: 2010 Recall of Roman and Roller Shades; Recall prompted by a near strangulation; and
• Vertical Land: 2009 Recall to repair Window Blinds; Recall prompted by the strangulation death of a child

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Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients for almost twenty years. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

Part Two of Two

The October 2010 Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC’s) recall list warns the public about products posing fire, burn, strangulation and other safety risks. We review these monthly government lists to help you minimize your chances of purchasing dangerous items. Always be sure to read these articles before making new purchases or accepting used goods from others. Part Two of our October 2010 product recall review looks at items posing fire, burn and fall risks. This second half of our review also references a CPSC news item about an upcoming national education campaign. Part One of our October 2010 recall product review focuses mainly on items posing choking and strangulation hazards. It also describes products that can inflict laceration and other general injuries upon consumers.

Products Posing Fire and Burn Hazards

• Eastern America Trio Products, Inc., of Flushing, N. Y., has agreed to voluntarily recall about 124,000 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. When these bulbs overheat, they can start a fire or otherwise harm consumers
• Fire-Lite Alarms of Northford, Connecticut, has agreed to recall close to 530 Fire Alarm Control Panels since they may fail to properly warn consumers before fires break out.
• Oxmoor House Inc., of Birmingham, Alabama, has agreed with the CPSC to voluntarily recall about 540,000 Home Improvement Books containing faulty technical diagrams and wiring instructions. Consumers who try to follow the instructions and diagrams in these books may suffer electrical shocks or fire hazards. (This action has been taken in addition to the January 2010 recall of approximately 951,000 similar books.)
• Tabletops Unlimited, Inc., of Carson, California, has agreed to recall about 1,500 Castalon Frying Pans. Consumers who use these pans may suffer burns if the enamel coating on them starts cracking and breaking off. This hazard can develop even after the pans have only been used a few times.

Products Posing Fall Risks

• Williams-Sonoma Inc., of San Francisco, California, has agreed to recall about 5,900 PBteen Sleep and Study Loft Beds since the side bed rails can crack, possibly causing the mattress supports to give way. Users may then suffer fall injuries.
• Easton Sports, of Scotts Valley, California, is recalling about 200 of its Bicycles featuring 2010 EC90 Zero Seat Posts. When these seat posts’ carbon top clamps crack, riders can suffer fall hazards.
• Bravo Sports, of Santa Fe Springs, California, has agreed to recall approximately 160,000 Bravo Sports Trampolines. If these trampolines aren’t assembled properly, the top legs and rails may break or bend (even during normal use). At that point, the trampolines can partially collapse, creating a fall risk to users.
• Primal Vantage Co., Inc., of Randolph, New Jersey, has agreed to recall close to 40,000 Ameristep Plastic Strap-On Tree Steps since the plastic parts of these steps can break, creating a fall risk to users.

General Consumer Product Safety Commission News

The CPSC and other child safety groups have banded together to release a new video designed to teach parents and other caregivers how to properly use baby cribs. Special instructions contained in “Safe Sleep for Babies” can help caregivers cut down on the suffocation, entrapment and strangulation risks posed by cribs. The video has been released as part of a national educational campaign.

Our firm hopes that these monthly CPSC product recall reviews and brief news updates will help readers better protect themselves against the many dangerous products that keep finding their way to the marketplace. (Readers interested in reviewing the complete October 2010 CPSC product recall list can visit the following link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prereloct10.html).

Contact our Sacramento Defective Products Lawyer

Demas & Rosenthal is a law firm comprised of Sacramento personal injury lawyers that has helped clients fight for their consumer rights for nearly 20 years. The firm represents clients in California personal injury lawsuits that include matters relating to traffic accidents, defective products and general negligence. Demas and Rosenthal has an “AV” rating, the highest possible national rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The “AV” rating is derived from confidential assessments by attorneys in the community as well as judges. In addition to the highest attainable legal ability ratings, Demas and Rosenthal has been given the highest marks for “adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence.

Although many studies of motorcycle and car accidents focus on head traumas, serious foot injuries frequently occur that can permanently change someone’s personal and daily work life forever. We often forget how many Americans work every day in restaurant, cashier, construction, day care and other jobs that absolutely demand we be fully ambulatory.

Most Common Types of Foot Injuries Suffered in Traffic Accidents

At least one major study found that ankle injuries are the most common type of foot damage suffered during a motorcycle or car accident. Fractured ankle bones can take months to heal and may even require multiple surgeries before the injured person can begin trying to walk or move about with the help of any rehabilitative device. Of course, motorcycle riders and their passengers are more likely to damage their feet since they are without the added protective coverage offered by most cars.

As for which part of the foot is most likely to be damaged, apart from the ankle, the forefoot usually sustains the highest number of injuries. While amputation may be necessary for the most serious foot injuries, other critical steps can be taken before this most extreme measure must be pursued.

Types of Accidents Most Likely to Create Foot Injuries

Accidents involving multiple vehicles or motorcycles tend to produce the largest number of foot injuries, followed closely by head-on collisions. Ongoing vehicle design improvements are necessary to lower the high number of critical foot injuries suffered by Americans each year. It should also be noted that high-speed collisions play a major role in many serious foot injuries.

Seeking Out an Experienced Doctor with Strong Diagnostic Skills

A well-trained doctor such as a podiatrist or orthopedist (specializing in foot injuries) must be consulted so that an appropriate treatment regimen can be created for you. Before first meeting with your foot injury specialist, you should seriously consider viewing an online or general reference book drawing of the foot’s various bone structures. This can help you better describe to your doctor where you’re experiencing the most pain and mobility issues

Key Questions to Ask Your Foot Doctor or Surgeon

Obviously, professional sports players might need to pose special sets of questions to multiple doctors since their goal is to return to their chosen games as soon as possible, without sacrificing full and complete healing. As for the rest of us, we simply need to ask which treatment programs will cause the least interference with our jobs and other daily activities.

Among other key questions, you might want to ask your foot specialist:

• Which foot supports or casts are best for your type of injury;
• Whether crutches or a wheelchair might provide you with the best mobility before your foot is fully healed;
• What incidental injuries, such as soft tissue tears or other complications might hinder a rapid recovery in your case;
• If it’s best for you to stay off your damaged foot for a certain period of time to maximize the overall healing process;
• If a comprehensive rehabilitative program is necessary. Bear in mind that you cannot benefit from most therapeutic programs if you drop out of them early. Be sure to ask your physical therapist if you can continue your therapeutic exercises at home, long after the formal therapy sessions end.

Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients since our firm first opened its doors back in 1993. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every

Part Two of Two

The September 2010 Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC’s) recall list includes warnings about products posing choking, strangulation, laceration and impact injury risks. Other referenced items can cause fire, burn and fall hazards.  Our monthly reviews of these government lists are designed to minimize your chances of purchasing dangerous products. Always try and review these lists before ever making new purchases or accepting used goods from others. Part Two of our September 2010 product recall review looks at items posing fire, burn and fall risks. This second half of our review also includes a brief CPSC news overview regarding recent investigations, statistical reports and assigned penalties. Part One of our September 2010 recall list review focused mainly on products posing choking and strangulation hazards. It also described items that can inflict laceration or impact injuries upon consumers. (Readers interested in reviewing the complete September 2010 CPSC product recall list can visit the following link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerelsep10.html).

Products Posing Fire and Burn Hazards

• Paradigm Electronics, of Ontario, Canada, is voluntarily recalling close to 2,200   Subwoofer Speakers. If these speakers become overheated from lengthy use, they can create a fire risk for consumers.
• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, of Los Angeles, California, has agreed to recall close to 1,600 Tea Sets. When these sets are placed in microwave ovens, some of their metallic decorations can cause fires.
• Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., of Irvine, California, is voluntarily recalling about 41,000 Satellite T135, Satellite T135D and Satellite ProT130 Notebook Computers (sold around the world). These computers can pose burn hazards to consumers when their “plug-ins” to the AC adapters start to overheat.

Products Posing Fall Risks

• Simms Fishing Products, of Bozeman, Montana, has agreed to recall close to 3,000 Wading Staffs. If the staffs collapse, they can pose fall risks to consumers.
• Kompan Inc., of Tacoma, Washington and BigToys Inc., of Olympia, Washington, are both voluntarily recalling about 700 Swing Sets since some of the joint connections in these sets can break and crack, creating fall hazards for consumers.

General Consumer Product Safety Commission News

• Summer Season 2010 Drowning Statistics for Children

Now that the summer swimming season has come to a close for children now back in school, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Home Safety Council (HSC) are releasing statistical information on how many children drowned this past summer. (See: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10332.html).

• Civil Penalty Assessed Regarding Drawstrings on Children’s Sweatshirts

Pro-Pac Distributing Corporation, of Gardena, California, has agreed to pay a $125, 000 civil penalty settlement for failing to abide by the federal law which     requires companies to immediately notify the government after importing   children’s hooded sweatshirts featuring drawstrings at the neck.

• Diaper Rash Allegations Involving Pampers Still Under Investigation

As of early September 2010, the CPSC and Health Canada (HC) have not discovered any specific causes in the consumer incident reports they have studied             linking Pampers Dry Max Diapers and diaper rash. (See: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10331.html ).

Our firm hopes that these monthly CPSC product recall reviews and brief news updates will help readers better protect themselves from being harmed by the many dangerous products that keep finding their way to the marketplace.

Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients since our firm first opened its doors back in 1993. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

Whether they have their own children or not, most Americans are familiar with the Fisher-Price name since the company has been marketing its highly popular toys and other products to children for many years. Yet whenever one of this country’s major toy manufacturers has to recall a vast number of its goods, it’s always a bit surprising.

At present, Fisher-Price is recalling over 11 million children’s products. Safety concerns have prompted the recall of many of the company’s toys, tricycles and high chairs.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently stated that the tricycles and high chairs have been directly blamed for some children’s injuries. In fact, six of the ten children known to have suffered harm had to receive medical attention. These injuries involved Fisher-Price’s Trike and Tough Trike toddler tricycles. Many of these tricycles feature well known characters such as Dora the Explorer and Barbie. Apparently, the plastic ignition keys located near these tricycles’ seats can cause a variety of injuries to children who accidentally fall onto them. Some kids have even suffered genital bleeding from these accidents.

Fisher-Price has also had to recall more than one million of its Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs due to fourteen separate complaints. It seems that when people use the pegs on the backs of these high chairs to store the trays, children who fall on them can injure themselves. In fact, seven of the fourteen children who were injured required stitches due to this design defect.

Although the CPSC is very concerned about these product defects, they are pleased that Fisher-Price is offering free repairs and replacements to consumers. While the vast majority of these high chairs were sold in the United States, close to 400,000 of them were sold in Canada.

Additional Fisher-Price Recalls

The other current Fisher-Price products being recalled include over 2.8 million

Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playground toys, Baby Gymtastics Play Wall toys, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade toys, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium toys, Bat & Score Goal toys and 1-2-3 Tetherball toys. Apparently, when the valves come off these toys’ balls, they pose a choking hazard to children. Consumers have already reported more than 50 such valves coming off the balls.

Finally, Fisher-Price is also recalling about 120,000 Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway toys. (That figure covers both the U. S. and Canadian sales of these toys). These products were sold between April and late September 2010 to mass merchandise stores in both countries. The main danger posed by these “rampway” toys occurs when the wheels on the green and purple cars come off, creating serious choking risks to children.

California Personal Injury Attorneys

Please respond to our firm’s recall update by removing these toys from your home so you can obtain free repairs or replacements for them. We hope this massive recall will also remind you to be extra careful when buying any children’s toys or products in secondhand stores. Always ask a secondhand store sales clerk to look up any toy or product you’re interested in buying on the Internet — so you can be sure that it isn’t the subject of a current or past recall.

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Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients since our firm first opened its doors back in 1993. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes great pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

Even before you have your surgery, find out what the possible outcome will be. It is better to be aware than to be surprised. Usually doctors will breeze through the explanation, but you can persist if you ask the right questions. In fact, it is your responsibility to ask as many questions about the medical procedure, your post-operative care and any other issues to satisfy your curiosity and get the information you need. In this article, we’ll share with you with some hot “after surgery tips” and some advice on whether you should seek medical assistance while healing.

Inform your surgeon what medications you are taking so that he can prevent possible ill effects from a incompatible combination of drugs.

After surgery, if you feel any pain or fever (100 or higher), contact your physician even before the scheduled appointment date.  In most instances, your doctor has probably already prescribed pain medication, but if the pain persists or gets worse, he may have to adjust the dosage. In some instances, he may even tell you to proceed to the nearest clinic or hospital for “urgent aid” or “further evaluation”.

Whatever you do, do not panic if you feel pain. There will be expected pain depending on your surgery. For some, if the surgery was an appendectomy or caesarian section, laughter and slight movement will cause discomfort or pain. For back surgery, you may even experience some degree of muscle pain and spasms. Unfortunately, people have different pain tolerance levels, so there is really no way of knowing how effective the pain prescription will be until you start feeling the pain.

In addition, there are many cases when post operation drugs have caused side effects like nausea or constipation. Some additional symptoms to watch are hives, swollen mouth, etc. All of these are quite serious and you must seek assistance immediately. Before you stop taking your medicine because of any side effects, consult with your doctor first.

Whether you are still in the hospital or at home, if you have concerns, contact your physician. You are your best advocate and you know yourself best. Plus, you do not always have the luxury of time because once an infection sets in, it will likely complicate your condition and lead to longer heal times.

You should also try to time your pain. If it comes every hour, then that is not good. This means your prescription and dosage is insufficient. You should also figure out what kind of pain it is you are feeling – sharp, dull, or numbing.

Pain is not the only problem you will encounter after surgery. There is also the immobility and post surgery care. Some doctors may recommend a nurse to be with you at least for the first 48 hours after you leave the hospital. The nurse or midwife can help you ease back into your life, and monitor your condition at the same time.

If you live alone, you should definitely consider prompt medical assistance. However, if you have a family to lean on, you can opt to have a nurse visit you once or twice a day – just to make sure your wound is healing properly, and you are getting the right attention and care. After surgery, you must let your body recover, so allowing someone to help you is part of the process. The sooner you recover, the sooner you can get back on your feet.

Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients since our firm first opened its doors back in 1993. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.

Children are more vulnerable to accidents in and around the swimming pool or beach. However, this does not discount accidents that happen to adults because in their effort to watch over their children, they forget to watch out for their own safety.

These are easy to follow swimming safety tips for anyone, regardless of age, location, or experience in swimming.

Children never swim alone

No matter how experienced a child is, you should never allow him to swim on his own, especially where there is a current like in the beach. If an adult is at risk because of slippery tiles or because of an undercurrent, you can imagine how much more so with a young teenager or child.

Furthermore, children tend to be impulsive and swim immediately after eating which causes cramps, and immobilizes the person so they cannot move their legs properly.

No one should swim without taking lessons first

A child or adult can drown in a few inches of water. Depth is not always a condition. However, the most common problem with swimming  is  not knowing what to do in an emergency. For instance, if you are swept by strong tides, you can easily lose any concept of where to go. You get disoriented. The right swimming lesson would tell you that the first thing to do is not to panic. Lessons may seem a little trivial if you are an adult, but it could save your life.

No swimming in bad weather

Just like boats are not allowed out in bad weather, you should also not allow anyone out in a pool, lake, river, beach, or even any kind of above ground pool. For one, you are tempting fate if there is lightning.

No drinking and swimming

Being drunk and swimming is also a big no-no. You’re inviting trouble, so avoid having alcoholic beverages in beach parties, pool parties, or even children swimming parties.

Bring the proper gear

You will need sun block, goggles, floating devices, and ointments for insect bites which will all come in handy when swimming. However, do not make the assumption that floating devices can save you from a strong current.

Swimming is a lot of fun, and very good cardiovascular exercise. This is why it is also considered ideal for people who have suffered from a trauma, accident, or illness. Finally, aside from you as the supervising adult, there should also be a qualified lifeguard around. After all, it is a required prerequisite to swimming in public places.

Demas & Rosenthal remains one of Sacramento’s most highly respected and accomplished personal injury law firms. We’ve been successfully representing clients since our firm first opened its doors back in 1993. Every Demas & Rosenthal attorney takes pride in obtaining the full compensation and complete justice owed to every client.