“DROWNING SEASON” HAS ARRIVED!
Never heard the term, you say? It’s pretty common among EMS personnel, lifeguards and child activists when they talk about the small, lifeless bodies they see every summer lying by swimming pools or on beaches. That’s why so many dread the season. And so many work hard to make parents and caregivers understand the awful truth: A child can drown in 20 seconds or less.
How is that possible? The physiology is simple. People who are drowning hold their breath as long as they can. Then, they automatically breathe in. Water surges into the lungs and stomach, diluting the blood. The blood imbalance causes the heart to stop. The entire process takes 12 to 20 seconds from start to finish. First, there’s panic and a struggle to return to the surface followed by a period of calmness when the body lies limp in the water. Then, water is swallowed. There’s a terminal gasp. The victim falls unconscious and dies.
It’s a scenario that Attorney Jim Adler, a former lifeguard and water safety instructor, dreads. Adler, a member of the Joint City County Commission On Children in Houston and Safe Kids Coalitions in Houston and San Antonio is replacing some of his regularly scheduled TV commercials in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio this summer with a public service announcement about drowning to make sure that parents know the “cold, hard truth” to save their little ones from one of the quickest killers around.
ROAD SAFETY: WILL FEDS REGULATE FAT TRUCKERS?
By now, we all know it’s not healthy to be overweight. Medical reports rail against excess body fat, citing statistics that show even a few extra pounds can cause serious illnesses, from diabetes to heart ailments. Americans trying to stay healthy fight battles with their bathroom scales every day all over the United States.
But what about other people’s fat? Can it kill us too? Yes, according to sleep scientists at Harvard University. Their studies of the link between being overweight and sleep apnea have the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considering new rules to require screening of overweight truck drivers. Harvard scientists estimate that 28 percent of commercial truck drivers on U.S. highways suffer from mild or severe sleep apnea. The disorder shuts off airways, causing them to wake up dozens, even hundreds of times every night, leaving them generally fatigued and often, grievously sleep deprived. People with sleep apnea have a tendency to nod off during normal activities. A few seconds asleep at the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck rolling down the highway could easily be fatal to nearby drivers.
While the federal government is looking seriously at new rules to curb sleep apnea in overweight truckers, it has no deadline for implementing them. Supporters say the rules could help prevent the truck accidents that kill more than 5,200 people a year and injure another 100,000. Critics say the rules could idle up to 40 percent of the truckers on American roads. Meanwhile, successful treatments for sleep apnea include a device that supplies oxygen during the night and keeps airways open, leaving truckers with sleep apnea rested and ready to go.
HELP FOR VICTIMS IS A PRIORITY AT MADD
A knock at the door rousts a woman out of bed. Her husband is off on his motorcycle doing an errand. One look at police on her front porch and she guesses the awful truth. He’s been killed. The man who hit him was drunk. A man driving his family to Mexico for a Christmas vacation is rear-ended at 90 miles an hour by a drunk driver. His wife and son are dead at the scene. His mother dies later.
A woman in a pickup truck is knocked off a freeway overpass in the dark by a drunk driver and left to die in a ditch. Her husband and son find her body two hours later when she doesn’t come home.
Accidents like these occur every day. Those grieving for loved ones killed by drunk drivers say the pain never ends. That’s where Mothers Against Drunk Driving steps in. MADD offers them a range of services, from money for groceries and funeral expenses to accompanying families to court during legal proceedings against drunk drivers that can last for months, and sometimes, years. The money in Texas comes from a state fund for victims. MADD can access it in three to five days, according to the Director of Victim Services in MADD’s San Antonio office.
“MADD is an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on and a hand to hold,” says Jennifer Hathaway, another MADD executive in Texas, describing the services the organization provides to those who have lost loved ones to drunk driving anywhere in the country. Staffers at MADD are trained to help victims with all aspects of a drunk-driving crash as long as they are needed. Contact the Victims Helpline at 1-877-MADD-HELP. Attorney Jim Adler, who has represented victims of drunk drivers for more than 30 years, is a strong supporter of the one organization entirely devoted to helping victims of drunk drivers. Jim Adler & Associates is underwriting a video to make more people aware of the services that MADD offers drunk driving accident victims.
REMINDER: STAY ALERT TO STAY ALIVE
On the morning of June 10, 2009, a blowout on a Houston freeway triggered a cascade of events that could have been fatal for the drivers involved. A blowout caused an 18 wheeler to jackknife and slam into two cars. Miraculously, all the drivers walked away unhurt; even the driver of the pickup truck with the tire that suddenly failed. There’s a lesson in the accident for all drivers. They can be in serious danger in the blink of an eye.
According to experts, most accidents happen in two seconds, barely enough time for drivers to react to the danger. But they agree that vigilance saves lives. They urge drivers not to talk on cell phones, send text messages, and eat or drink while driving. Drivers who need to engage in any of these seemingly harmless activities should pull over and park.
In 2007, 41,059 people died in accidents on American roads according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those between the ages of 21 and 24 had the highest fatality rate. Those between the ages of 16 and 20 had the highest rate of injuries. Statistics show that teen drivers are three times as likely to get into a fatal accident as others. Yet these are the drivers who frequently text, talk, eat and sometimes “dance” behind the wheel to the upbeat sounds of a favorite rock band while driving. Parents need to make their teens aware that accidents happen in seconds.
“Stay alert and stay alive.” It’s a good motto on the road anytime for every age. Combined with defensive driving techniques, vigilance pays off.
American staple creates widespread danger
The famous Keebler elves are probably in shock. Their cookies are on a list of 3,222 products
recalled by the federal government since January because they were made with peanut butter paste tainted with Salmonella Typhimurium. It came from a plant in Georgia – Peanut Corporation of America – that has since declared bankruptcy. Questions about products should be directed to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since the company no longer takes calls from consumers. The FDA has created a special web page where the public can research products by brand name, UPC Code and product description or any combination of the three. The government agency plans continuous updates to the site. As of March 9, 2009, its list included hundreds of America’s favorite foods, including ice cream, candy, cookies, brownies, cakes, pies and donuts. If any of these products have made you sick, you may be eligible for legal action against the manufacturer of the peanut butter paste.
Accident animation reveals details of American disasters
“Seeing is believing,” the old saying goes. While statistics can make believers out of some doubters, there is nothing like watching an accident happen. In this case, the deadly force of an 18-wheeler. When there’s a fatal accident with a truck, more often than not, the dead are found in the other vehicle. An animation by the National Transportation Safety Board on http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/animations.htm demonstrates the deadly force of a truck in an accident that left three school bus passengers dead and seriously injured two others. The truck weighed more than 79,000 pounds. It slammed into the side of the bus when its brakes failed. The NTSB said the poor condition of the truck’s brakes and inadequate truck inspections were the cause of the 2001 Arkansas accident. But the safety lesson for all drivers is clear: Don’t drive in or around 18- wheelers on the highway if you can avoid it. And watch side roads for truck traffic. There’s no room for mistakes. Note: The National Transportation Safety Board website also has scores of animations that recreate plane crashes, collapsing bridges and other accidents that have made national headlines, including the crash of a light plane into a Manhattan skyscraper in 2006 and the a Southwest Airlines plane that overran the runway in Chicago in 2007.
Major victory for victims from U.S. Supreme Court
In fact, it’s the biggest in years! It means that people hurt by bad drugs can sue drug manufacturers in state court even if labels on the drugs include a federal warning about their potential danger under some circumstances. You might be tempted to say “So what?” But if the ruling had gone the other way - that is, for the drug company involved - millions of Americans would have no right to sue drug companies that hurt them or their loved ones when federal warnings on their drugs are inadequate. Jim Adler, an attorney with 30 years experience in personal injury law, says that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - the federal agency charged with making sure drugs are safe - is “underfunded and understaffed…” setting up the situation where “…drugs are being tested on the American public.” How did the question end up before the court? A Vermont musician was injected with a drug to relieve migraine headaches even though the warning label said the type of injection she received might cause gangrene. A large portion of her right arm was amputated after the worst happened. Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, she can keep the $6 million awarded to her by a Vermont state court.
www.elmartillotejano.com
Ahora, Hispanos pueden ver safety videos en Espanol. The new voice of the website is the extremely popular former KTRK Channel 13 anchor, Minerva Perez. The videos have extremely important information for keeping family members safe. They include stories about a medical device that can permanently cripple you, how to protect yourself from drivers without insurance who can push you into bankruptcy, how the ATV can cripple or kill you and the dangers of texting while driving. New videos will be added weekly. They are meant to improve lives by warning against dangerous situations, bad drugs and products that are harmful. Tune into Minerva’s new show “Latina voices” on KUHT, Channel 8, Houston PBS for lively discussions with three Latina professionals, attorney Sophia Androgue, Emmy Award-winning Channel 8 producer, Patricia Gras and Minerva. And……if you have something you want to blog about that is affecting the Hispanic community, send us 300 to 500 words about it. Your comments could be chosen for posting on the site. We welcome submissions from children as well!
ATV accident deaths alarming authorities
The statistics are shocking. In 2006, 555 people lost their lives on these recreational vehicles. More than 100 were children. Manufacturers say ATVS are safe. But the growing number of deaths has authorities worried. Read the story: on MSNBC
Booster seats save lives for kids in cars
Ever heard of a booster seat? They are life savers for kids who are too old for car seats but not old enough for seat belts. The National Transportation Safety Board says 3,500 child passengers between the ages of 4 and 8 died in traffic accidents between 1998 and 2007. The NTSB says about half of the children were not restrained. Most of the rest were wearing seat belts. Seat belts are not designed for young children who have outgrown car seats. A seat belt can choke a child or cause abdominal injuries during a crash. Booster seats position the belts correctly across a young child’s body. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia require booster seats for child passengers who have outgrown car seats. Twenty-one of these states mandate booster seats for children through age 7. The NTSB is urging Texas and six other states without booster seat laws to pass them soon. Other states that lack such laws include Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Ohio and South Dakota. Pediatricians are behind the push for a booster seat law in Texas during the state’s legislative session that is currently underway. A similar effort failed to win enough votes during Texas 2007 legislative session.
Safe Kids USA, a national safety organization with coalitions in major Texas cities and other cities across the United States, holds free booster and car seat clinics with national experts who train parents and care givers in the proper installation of car seats and booster seats. While car seats can be expensive, booster seats cost about $15.
