Children's and Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton Remind Parents about Child Passenger Safety Best Practices to Reduce Pediatric Injuries Incurred in Motor Vehicle Accidents

BIRMINGHAM – In recognition of Child Passenger Safety week at Children’s of Alabama, Birmingham law firm Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton, LLP contributed $10,000 to the hospital’s car seat program.

Last year more than 240 children who would have otherwise been sent home without a car seat were given seats through Children’s Car Seat Program. Hare Wynn is the primary underwriter for Children’s Car Seat Program, which provides patient families with car seats upon discharge from the hospital. Since the program launched five years ago, hundreds of families have received free car seats - the vast majority were visiting Children’s Emergency Department, one of the busiest of its kind in the southeast. HWNN has donated more than $50,000 to fund Children’s car seat program.

Nationally about 80 percent of child passenger safety seats are incorrectly installed. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, children are more likely than adults to be injured because they have softer bones, weaker neck muscles and more fragile bodies. Children also have larger heads in proportion to their bodies which is why children 13 and under should always ride in the back seat of a vehicle.

Children’s also encourages parents and other caregivers to be familiar with the Alabama Child Restraint Law (2006): "Every person transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall provide for the protection of the child by properly using... a child passenger restraint system." The term "motor vehicle" as used in this section shall include a passenger car, pickup truck, van (seating capacity of 10 or less), minivan, or sports utility vehicle. The fine for a citation is $25.00. The size-appropriate restraint system required for a child shall include all of the following types of child safety seats. Protect your children by changing each seat as they grow.”

About Children’s of Alabama:

Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient and outpatient services throughout central Alabama. Ranked among the best pediatric medical centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s provided care for youngsters from every county in Alabama and 42 other states last year, representing more than 684,000 outpatient visits and more than 15,000 inpatient admissions. With more than 3.5 million square feet, Children’s is one of the largest pediatric medical facilities in the United States. It is a private, not-for-profit medical center that serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric medicine, surgery, psychiatry, research and residency programs. The medical staff consists of UAB faculty and Children’s of Alabama’s full-time physicians as well as private practicing community physicians.

About Hare Wynn:

In its second century of practice, Hare Wynn is one of the most respected plaintiffs' litigation firms in the country.  Hare Wynn's success has come as a result of the unique opportunity its attorneys have had to become both experienced and successful trial lawyers, as well as legal tacticians. Whether arguing to a jury in a rural county in Alabama or to the United States Supreme Court, Hare Wynn's lawyers have a proven track record of success for their clients.