20% of Child Deaths in Mississippi Preventable

The death of any person is something we take very seriously, but the death of a child or infant sends chills up the spine. Even more so when it is discovered that the death was preventable, a recent report in Mississippi sent chills up our spine.

The Child Death Review Panel in Mississippi considered 229 of 610 cases where children died statewide for the year of 2011 and found that 134 of those 229 were preventable. seventy-five of the deaths were the result of motor vehicle accidents. With these numbers we would like to remind parents to make sure your children are properly buckled into a child safety seat, that the seat is in a rear seat and that the seat does not have a recall in effect.

Ninety-five of the deaths which were reported were of children who were less than a year old. 60% of the babies who died were found in an unsafe sleep environment. Studies and research suggest that babies should sleep alone, on their backs, in a crib, with no pillows stuffed animals or lots of blankets.

Any death leaves questions to be answered. One function of our office is to help families find answers to these questions and to put their minds at rest. If you have a question about a recent death and would like to speak to an attorney, please call, our office has a 24-hour answering service.