It is not terribly surprising that children between the ages of 5 and 9 are the most common victims of dog bites. Children are curious by nature, especially about animals, and they are taught that dogs are their friends. However, most children do not know how to properly treat animals, yelling at them or pulling on their fur or ears, which can easily spook or anger a dog and result in a dangerous situation.

First, parents who are adding a dog to their family should pick one that will be a good match with their children. A veterinarian can offer suggestions as to safe, even-tempered breeds that will not pose a significant risk. Second, the pet should be exposed to a variety of people, animals and situations so it becomes well-socialized.

Third, teach your children how to behave around the dog. Kids should not bother a dog if it is eating, sleeping or caring for puppies, and they should not run past a dog. Children of all ages should be supervised when around dogs, but babies and very young children should never be left alone with a dog.

Finally, all dogs should be vaccinated against rabies, so if a bite occurs the victim will not need to undergo the series of rabies vaccinations.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, "A Lesson in Dog Safety Can Help Prevent Dog Bites"

But it seems that teen crash deaths increased during the first half of 2011 according to preliminary data from that period. Now, officials are wondering whether the effectiveness of graduated licensing has run its course, and how to continue to increase safe driving behaviors among teenage drivers.

Specifically, researchers found that the risk of death to a 16- or 17-year-old driver increases by about 44 percent when that driver is transporting one passenger under the age of 21. The risk doubles when the driver is carrying two passengers under 21, and quadruples when three passengers under 21 are in the vehicle.

To contrast, a teen driver who has a passenger over the age of 35 in the car has a 62 percent lower risk of being killed in an accident.

Source: Washington Post, "Study: A teenage driver's risk of dying in a crash goes up sharply with other teens in the car," May 7, 2012

Unfortunately, Seau's suicide is not the first of its kind. Last year, former NFL linebacker Dave Duerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. In a suicide note, Duerson asked that his brain be donated to the Boston University School of Medicine in order that the connection between brain injury and depression be further studied. Researchers later determined that Duerson had suffered from a neurodegenerative disease which was caused by his many concussions, and which triggered the depression that caused him to take his life.

Seau, who was 43 at the time of his death, was an All-American at USC before joining the San Diego Chargers in the position of linebacker, where he played for 13 seasons. He then spent three seasons with the Miami Dolphins and four with the New England Patriots before retiring in 2009.

Although Seau was not publicly known for suffering brain injuries, his ex-wife told ESPN that he had recovered from multiple concussions during his career. "Of course he had. He always bounced back and kept on playing," she said. "I don't know what football player hasn't."

Source: Los Angeles Times, "Junior Seau's family revisiting decision to donate his brain," May 6, 2012

According to police reports, the crash took place at about 6:30 a.m. as the San Diego family, including parents, two children and a grandmother, drove to spend the day in Disneyland. On I-805 near Sorrento Valley, another vehicle on the road was cut off by a car, forcing the driver to swerve into the SUV carrying the family.

According to a Caltrans spokesperson, highway workers at the scene of the accident worked quickly and delicately to extract the family from the vehicle. They positioned a forklift beneath the SUV in order to keep it from plunging off the freeway and causing greater injury. Firefighters, police officers and tow-truck drivers assisted with the rescue when they arrived on the scene.

The father suffered broken ribs as well as several cuts and bruises. The mother and two children suffered minor injuries. Unfortunately, the grandmother suffered a major head trauma in the crash and later died.

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, "1 dead, 4 injured in I-805 crash," Debbi Baker and Susan Schroder, April 26, 2012

The boat that was involved in the latest fatal accident was a 37-foot yacht named Aegean. The sailors were participating in a race from Newport Beach, about 90 miles north of San Diego, to Ensenada, Mexico. The yacht departed from Newport Beach on Friday and was scheduled to arrive in Mexico on Sunday.

Coast Guard officials concluded that the fatal boating accident was the result of the Aegean's collision with a much larger vessel. The force of that impact caused the deaths of three of Aegean crew members, and an additional sailor remains missing. The Coast Guard has not yet identified the people killed in the crash.

The boat accident was the third of its kind in less than a month. Recently, we wrote about a fatal accident that took the lives of four experienced sailors off the coast of San Francisco. You can read about that crash in our earlier personal injury blog post. In addition, two participants in a round-the-world race were injured when a wave crashed into their ship in late March.

Source: Reuters, "Three killed, one missing in latest California yacht accident," Alex Dobuzinskis and Paul Thomasch, April 29, 2012

Research shows that those who suffer serious injuries may have a better chance of surviving if they are taken by helicopter rather than an ambulance. It is believed that the both the speed of transport and the crew aboard the helicopter contribute to the increased level of care and safety for victims. It is possible that ground crews do not have the same tools and training as those in the helicopters, according to one of the researchers.

A helicopter is normally used when a patient is more than 30 minutes away by ground. While they can be more costly, transport by helicopter can increase the rate of survival for victims of serious injury. While the research needs further analysis and development, this study suggests that those who travel by helicopter tend to do better than those who are transported by ambulance.

Source: Reuters, "Trauma patients taken by chopper may fare better," Andrew M. Seaman, April 17, 2012.

The fatal crash took place during the annual Full Crew Farallones Race on the Marin County waterfront. Held every year since 1907, the race is known among yachting circles as one of the toughest races of its kind. This was proved true when the Low Speed Chase, carrying eight veteran crew members, was hit with a series of towering waves.

When the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on the scene, they found one deceased crew member in the water, and were unable to locate the other four people who had been washed overboard. The following evening the Coast Guard called off its search for those four, stating that the "window of survivability" had closed.

All eight crew members on the boat at the time of the accident were boating veterans, many of whom had sailed since they were young children. They were reportedly all wearing life jackets at the time of the crash.

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, "Lost sailors were adventurous, experienced," Kevin Fagan, Henry Schulman, Carolyn Jones, April 17, 2012

In recent years, however, distraction has become the focus of the government's efforts to increase teen driver safety. A recent study has reached an interesting conclusion which may help further narrow that focus: teenage girls are 10 percent more likely to engage in distracted behavior behind the wheel than teenage boys.

Other common sources of distraction were eating and drinking, adjusting music and other vehicle controls, and grooming. Older teenagers were more likely to engage in careless behavior behind the wheel than newly-licensed drivers, and more passengers in the car increased the risk of a car crash or similar incident.

According to federal government statistics, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. Hopefully, this study will be an impetus for California and other states to increase the strength of their teen driving laws.

Source: Daily Herald, "Girls twice as likely to talk, text while driving," Marni Pyke, Mar. 27, 2012

The fatal motorcycle accident took place last May, during the funeral procession of a California police officer who had died of cancer. The widow's husband, a 44-year-old motorcycle officer, was working as a funeral escort when suddenly, a police sergeant who had been assisting a vehicle that had accidentally cut into the procession, cut back into the line.

Now, the widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of herself and her two sons against the city that was operating the procession, the sergeant who struck her husband, and the city that employed the sergeant. In the suit, the widow claims that the sergeant was unfit to operate a police motorcycle and that he was driving recklessly at the time of the crash. In addition, the suit claims, the city did not provide sufficient motorcycle training for the sergeant.

The cities have previously denied $25 million claims filed by the widow, citing the 'fireman's rule' which generally precludes any liability for emergency responders. The widow is fighting against that claim, arguing that this was not an emergency situation by any means, and that the cities are therefore liable for her husband's death.

Source: The Beach Reporter, "Officer's widow files wrongful death lawsuit," Carley Dryden, Mar. 21, 2012