Injury Rate From Bounce Houses Soaring

Pennsylvania parents thinking of renting a portable bounce house or moonwalk for their child’s next party might want to think again.

Every 46 minutes a child is injured in an inflatable bouncer, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics.

Thirty children are taken to emergency rooms each day for broken bones, sprains, cuts and concussions from bounce house accidents. Their average age is seven years old.

Most are hurt when they collide with another bouncer or fall inside or outside of the inflatable device.

Following is from a CBS News report:

Falls accounted for 43 percent of injuries, followed by stunts and collisions. Forty-four percent of the injuries occurred at a recreational setting and 38 percent occurring at home.

More than 27 percents of injuries were fractures, […]

PA Cheerleaders Warned of Injury Risk

By now most young athletes and their parents in Pennsylvania are aware of the risk of sports injuries, particularly concussions in football.

Less appreciated are the risks that cheerleaders face – but the American Academy of Pediatrics hopes to change that.

The AAP has issued a policy statement urging coaches, parents and school officials to take steps to make sure cheerleaders get the same coaching, care and protection as quarterbacks and point guards.

Read the full statement: Cheerleading Injuries: Epidemiology and Recommendations for Prevention.

In recent years, cheerleading has gone from exhorting crowds at football games to a year-round activity that combines acrobatics, dance and gymnastics.

Participation has skyrocketed. From 1990 to 2003, the number of U.S. cheerleaders age 6 and older increased from 3 million to 3.6 million, according to the AAP.

Unfortunately, the injury rate has also soared. […]

7 Ways to Fast-Track Your Sandy Insurance Claim

Claim your insurance protection for damage done by Hurricane Sandy

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, thousands of Pennsylvanians are filing insurance claims under homeowners, auto, health and even life insurance policies.

Many will face long waits and daunting paperwork.

Some insurance slowdowns are inevitable following a disaster of Sandy’s proportions. Damage estimates range from $7 billion to $50 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But by taking a few simple steps Pennsylvania residents can improve the odds of their claims getting fast-tracked for approval:

• Do your homework. Take pictures or video of the damage. Before-and-after photographs, purchase records and contractor estimates for repairs are especially valuable.
• Hurry up and file your claim. “Experts say that many homeowners hesitate because they aren’t really sure if they have enough damage to merit a claim—or at least a claim that is more than the value of the policy’s deductible,” the Wall Street Journal reported. […]

Sandy Death Toll in PA Reaches 12

At least 12 people in Pennsylvania have died as a result of Superstorm Sandy, while two other deaths have been unofficially linked to the storm.

The variety of causes – falls, fires, poisoning, even suicide – is a stark reminder that tragedy can strike in different ways.

Following are summaries from the Philadelphia Inquirer of the fatalities:

• Four people died, including a 90-year-old woman in Upper Merion Township, from carbon-monoxide poisoning from portable generators.
• An eight-year-old child died when a tree limb struck him outside his family home.
• A Berks County man was killed when a tree crashed onto his house.
• Two Lehigh County residents died from exposure to the cold.
• Two people were killed in vehicle accidents related to the storm.
• An 88-year-old Wayne County woman fractured her neck and died when she fell down the stairs in her home, […]

Tips for Preparing for Disasters

Here at Munley, Munley & Cartwright, our prayers and best wishes are extended to the victims of the storm Sandy and their families.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvanians are doing their best to return to work, school and normal routines.

According to the Associated Press:

The storm that did so much damage along the coast before it drenched Pennsylvania was blamed for at least nine deaths in the state. It was more than a mild inconvenience for the million-plus who lost power and the countless others whose homes were damaged by blowing rain and falling trees, but it was not the disaster for the state that some had feared.

Gov. Tom Corbett said there were no reports of major flooding as the center of the weather system drifted west and its winds diminished to 10 mph or so.

Power outages were the storm’s most damaging byproduct, […]