My social media has been blowing up lately all about this new game you can play on your phone called "Pokemon Go". According to the official website, the app allows you (the user) to "Travel between the real world and the virtual world of Pokémon with Pokémon GO for iPhone and Android devices. With Pokémon GO, you'll discover Pokémon in a whole new world-your own! Pokémon GO is built on Niantic's Real World Gaming Platform and will use real locations to encourage players to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon. Pokémon GO allows you to find and catch more than a hundred species of Pokémon as you explore your surroundings....Get on your feet and step outside to find and catch wild Pokémon. Explore cities and towns around where you live and even around the globe to capture as many Pokémon as you can. As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you're near a Pokémon. Once you've encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone's touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away"
Boat Safety And Liability
I think in the middle of summer, it is always imperative to do a blog on boating safety/liability. It is even more important to do this when you live on the Emerald Coast. Everything we do in the summer surrounds water. Whether we are playing in the bay, ocean, taking a boat out - we are in the water. Recently, the Destin Log put out an article that was enlightening and somewhat disheartening. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's 2015 boating statistics, Okaloosa County is ranked 12th out of the state's 67 in "boating incidents." These incidents included reported accidents, injuries and fatalities. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that with 873,507 registered recreational vessels, Florida has more boats than any other state. At the same time, the Sunshine State ranked at the top for the number of recreational boating accidents, with 581 in 2014.
Safety Alert: Over-Inflated/ Under-Inflated Tires - Watch Out!
Over-Inflated/ Under-Inflated tires- Watch out!
Safety Alert: Are Toxic Household Chemicals A Thing Of The Past?
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act more commonly known as the "Toxic Substances Control Act Reform" bill was recently signed into law and strengthens what environmental commentators considered to be one of the weakest environmental protection laws on the books. The bill revamps the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 ("TSCA") by allowing the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") to regulate existing chemicals while also allowing EPA to propose regulations that would regulate the introduction of new chemicals.
Be careful in harrowing Fort Walton Beach traffic
This week, the Northwest Florida Daily News took a look at what is going on with the traffic problem in downtown Fort Walton Beach. The article looks at the "stop-and-roll madness" endured by motorists trying to get over the Brooks Bridge on US Highway 98 and on all the feeder roads surrounding the area.
Bicycle Accidents: How To Avoid Being Injured
WEAR Channel 3 reports that a man was left in critical but stable condition after being struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle. According to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, earlier this month a 52-year-old male was riding his bicycle north along Wright Parkway and trying to cross the Mary Esther cutoff at the intersection, while outside of an approved crosswalk. The male was then struck by a 2001 Pontiac traveling north. The bicyclist was dressed in dark clothing and his bicycle did not have any light reflectors. Witnesses on scene said they did not see the bicyclist in the roadway after the crash. The man was alert and talking when taken from the scene to the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. At this time it is unknown if alcohol played a factor in this incident.
Safety Alert: Lawn Mower Injuries And Children
It is the summer. Children are out of school and many of us are using the "down time" to teach our kids responsibility. It is common for many families to teach their older children to mow the lawn as one form of responsibility. But a new study found that more than 9,000 kids are injured in the U.S. every year while mowing the lawn. The study was conducted at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and used statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) to identify patients age 20 and younger treated for mowing-related injuries between 2004 and 2013. The researchers collected information from approximately 100 emergency departments to generate the national assessments. The data was compared with an earlier review of pediatric mowing-related injuries from 1990 to 2004. Surprisingly, the number of children who get hurt annually hasn't changed in more than two decades. Sadly, the numbers have stayed the same, not gone down.
ATV Accidents Are On The Rise - Be Aware!
Each year as the temperature rises, the reported number of all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related incidents also increases. It is just a matter of time before we start hearing of ATV accidents in the Northwest Florida area. There are places in the country that are already seeing a spike in ATV accidents and we haven't even hit the middle of summer. In Tennessee, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt has already seen close to 10 ATV trauma-related admissions since April of this year. According to Purnima Unni, MPH, CHES, Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program Manager at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, "Two common things we see with our ATV trauma admissions are that they are not wearing helmets and they are either carrying passengers or are a passenger themselves. Both scenarios can result in serious injuries."
Dog Bites: How Common Are They And Who Is Responsible?
Recently we posted about a tragic incident where a young boy was attacked by a dog. According to WJHG Channel 7, there has been a rise in dog bites on children in Bay County. In May, Bay County Animal Control says there were ten reported dog bites on children. Last year, 414 dog bites were reported to Bay County Animal Control. Currently in 2016, 187 bites have been reported.
Safety Alert: Beware of Bounce House Risks
No one was inside an inflatable bounce house when a strong wind gust sent it flying into a western New York electric power transmission tower during a child's birthday party.
Failure To Yield - Who Really Has The Right-Of-Way?
According to various news agencies, two people are seriously injured after their cars collided near Dean Bozeman School this past week. According to FHP, a 24-year-old Chipley man was driving a Ford F-250 north on Highway 77 when a 16-year old female from Southport attempted to make a left turn in a Ford Explorer across the northbound lanes near Deane Bozeman School. Troopers said the two collided which caused the truck to rollover, hit a fire hydrant, and end up in a ditch. The a Southport teen was cited for failing to yield the right of way. Both drivers were taken to Bay Medical Sacred Heart with serious injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle.
