In This Issue:

Large Truck Accidents on the Rise in Texas

Come Join Us on the Social Networks

Daycare Abuse

Laws of Humor

Large Truck Accidents on the Rise in Texas

Large trucks have been involved in several accidents in North Texas over the past few weeks. This morning, WFAA.Com reported that a tractor trailer crashed into two vehicles on Highway 80 in Forney and the passengers of the vehicles were airlifted to a nearby hospital. These accidents are often some of the most devastating and destructive to occur on Texas roads. Tractor-trailers can weigh more than 80,000 pounds and can be up to 75 feet in length. When something goes wrong, the sheer mass of these vehicles can cause damage as terrible as a Sherman tank. Guard rails get ripped from their posts, concrete walls get turned to dust and other vehicles get torn apart or crushed. Sometimes, the cargo of these vehicles gets spilled on the roadway which can be hazardous to other drivers not involved in the wrecks.

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) collects data about truck accidents every year and then publishes these statistics for the public. Here are some of the findings:

Over half a million truck accidents occur each year
Over 5,000 deaths occur every year as a result of truck accidents
75% of truck accidents are caused by an error of the driver of the smaller vehicle
12% of all traffic deaths in the United States are caused by truck accidents
98% of these deaths are the passengers or drivers of the opposing vehicle
The highest number of fatal truck accidents happened in California.
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is on of the leading causes of truck accidents.

Come Join Us on the Social Networks

The Rasansky Law Firm takes pride in our relationships with our clients. We consider every last one of you members of our extended family and we love to hear updates about how you are doing. As people become more and more "linked-in", we find that social networking is an excellent way of communicating with our extended family.

Last month we told you about the exciting things we've been doing on Facebook. We have had a tremendous response from people in the cerebral palsy network and we're elated that we've had a chance to make more friends every day. If you are not already on Facebook, you can join here. Stop by one of our groups or send Jeff an email and tell him how you're doing!

We have also branched out to other networks and are pleased to announce that you can find us on Twitter as well. If you are not familiar with Twitter, here's a quick rundown:

Twitter is a free social networking and "micro-blogging" service that allows you to send updates (called "tweets") via website, cell-phone or a third-party application like Facebook. Twittering is a perfect balance between blogging and instant messaging. Updates are displayed on your profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The number of people on the Twitter network grows by the thousands every day. Several of the candidates for this year's election are on the Twitter network and the larger media outlets such as CNN also regularly post.

The Rasansky Law Firm likes to know that if you ever need anything, we are only a few keystrokes away. We look forward to "tweeting" with you soon!

Daycare Abuse

We've gotten a lot of questions regarding day care abuse and how you can identify if you child has been the victim of abuse. Here is a list of symptoms of abuse, as well as a few frequently asked questions:

Physical Symptoms

Crying or fighting to keep from going to daycare
Frightened behavior when away from the caregiver
Unexpected bruises, abrasions, burns, broken bones, black eyes, cuts or bite marks.
Repeated injuries

Emotional Symptoms

Shunning affection
Overly clingy behavior
Extreme behaviors
Reduction in communication
Acting inappropriately adult-like or infantile
Delayed emotional development
Unexplained headaches or stomachaches

Sexual Symptoms

Pain
Itching or bleeding around the genitals
Difficulty walking or sitting
Urinary tract infections
Bed wetting
Reluctance to remove garments
Demanding to wear extra garments
Sexual behavior inappropriate for the child's age

If you think that your child may have been abused at daycare, it is important that you contact local child protective services or law enforcement. You should then take your child to a doctor to evaluate the child's physical and emotional well being, determine treatment, and/or collect evidence.

Who is most likely to be responsible for abuse in the daycare setting?

By and large, teachers and staff members do not commit acts of abuse. Usually the abuse is committed by adults who are not directly responsible for teaching or caring for the children. Bus drivers, janitors and relatives of the staff are more likely to be offenders. In a recent national study, 36% of children who were sexually abused in a daycare were abused by husbands or sons of daycare workers.

Should I contact an attorney if I feel my child has been neglected, abused or otherwise injured at daycare?

Only a licensed attorney can evaluate whether you have a case or not. There are time limits (Statute of Limitations) which impact your ability to pursue litigation, so it is important to contact an attorney as soon as you feel your child may have been abused.

The Rasansky Law Firm's Laws of Humor

Student Sues for Getting Woken Up

A Danbury, Connecticut man has filed a lawsuit after being woken up by a loud noise in class. Attorney Alan Barry says that 15-year-old Vinicious Robacher suffered pain and injuries when his teacher slammed her palm on a desktop to wake him up. A Danbury city official says the case has been referred to Danbury's insurance carrier.