A post trending on social media showing two intact car seats in a heap of tangled metal underscores just how important using child car seats can be.

The mom of two unharmed boys involved in the accident says it is not the first time she’s seen a child properly buckled into a properly installed car seat come away from a crash with no injuries, which should encourage all parents to use them.

While many parents may understand the importance of securing kids in car seats, sometimes improper use can cause problems. To ensure a safer journey parents should take note to avoid common mistakes:

Do not transition from rear facing – to front facing – to booster – to seat belt, too soon. Do your homework by reading manufacturers’ recommendations based on a child’s weight and height before making changes to your child’s restraint mechanism. It has to be the right fit for maximum protection in an accident.

Do not neglect to anchor the tether strap to the vehicle. All cars manufactured since 2000 have places to secure the tether which is designed to reduce head injuries, a common injury in car accident.

Just like a loose bike helmet will do little to protect a child on a bicycle, a loose car seat restraint will not keep a child safe in a car accident. It is important to make sure the car seat is snug to the car and that a child is snug in the harness.
Make sure you buckle up too. All occupants of a car should buckle up not only to stay safe and set a good example, but to avoid striking other occupants in an accident.

Those who have survived a serious car accident can attest to the importance of wearing seat belts to save lives. For kids, having the right seat restraint can reduce their chance of being injured too. If you or a family member is injured in an Iowa car accident contact the Des Moines car accident Law Offices of John T. Hemminger for help today.

Source: ABCNews.com, “Car Accident Reminds Parents to Use Car Seats”, accessed July 20, 2018

Many U.S. nursing homes have serious quality problems, in part, because of inadequate staffing levels. By not providing the appropriate amount of staff, residents are at a higher risk of death, infections, complications, falls, failure-to-rescue rates and admission to the hospital.

New federal data reveals that nursing homes have for years fudged their numbers when reporting how many staff they have on hand to care for their residents.

Daily payroll records analyzed by Kaiser Health News tell the tale of nursing homes gaming the system by self-reporting more staff on hand to the government, sometimes translating into a higher score on the government’s five star rating program many use to find reliable nursing homes.

Results of the analysis show particularly thin staffing in nursing homes during the weekend, leading one resident to say “it’s almost like a ghost town”.

A spokesman for the American Health Care Association chalks up the poorly staffed weekends to the fact there are fewer programs during the weekend and some residents have family members to assist them. However, nothing can replace trained nursing home staff when residents need help.

Without adequate staffing every day of the week, seniors in pain can go without medication, meals may not get delivered, essential medical tasks such as repositioning patients to prevent bedsores are overlooked – all of which could lead to avoidable hospitalizations for vulnerable residents.

The exaggerated claims by nursing homes across the country come as no surprise to many families who have had loved ones suffer an injury due to negligence or abuse in a nursing home. A simple lack of enough caregivers at any given time can spell real trouble for elderly residents who depend on nursing homes to deliver the care they need, when they need it.

Contact a Des Moines Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer

If your family member has been injured or abused in an Iowa nursing home, contact Des Moines nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers of John T. Hemminger Law for help today.