For any of us who have had to place a child in daycare, there’s that haunting fear in the background about whether our children will be safe. Unfortunately, it’s easy for unregistered childcare providers to operate in Oregon. Under the applicable rules, small operators do not need to be licensed. But even those care centers that should have a license can apparently operate without getting licensed.

This is one more example of the frightening effects of deregulation. We’re told that regulation is bad and that taxes and government services are worse. And so there is no one watching to make sure that daycare providers comply with the law. While it might seem like apples and oranges, I can’t help but think about the link between this sad story and the FAA inspectors who faced retaliation for blowing the whistle on safety problems at Southwest Airlines.

I suppose that if I were looking after my own self-interest, I would welcome this era in silence. After all, I’m the guy that gets the call to represent the profoundly injured child or the whistle-blowing airline employee. So deregulation, which means more injuries, is good for the trial lawyers. Ain’t that a great irony?

David Sugerman

{Edited 4/1208}

This could be any of us. At the Portland Airport, you’re a passenger being dropping off curbside. You say your good-byes and go to grab the bags from the trunk. Most days, you walk off into the terminal.

Tragically, Dr. Joel Hopkin suffered life-threatening crush injuries when a wayward car set of a chain reaction, ending with a car crushing Dr. Hopkin against his car, as he unloaded his bags.

According to reports, Mr. and Mrs. Kerr started the chain reaction when Mrs. Kerr left their vehicle to look for an arriving air passenger. When she left their car to look for the passenger, Mr. Kerr climbed across into the driver’s seat. When he climbed over the middle, he apparently knocked the car into gear. Mr. Kerr may have panicked and hit the accelerator. The Kerr vehicle struck a vehicle in front of it, propelling that vehicle into Dr. Hopkin.

David Sugerman

This news account of a teenager’s serious injury at a North Portland Junkyard suggests that one or more participants didn’t get their stories straight. Were the teens working for the company, or were they merely operating the yard’s front-end loader and other heavy equipment without being paid on the payroll?

It doesn’t really matter. The account and various quotes provide another reminder that teenagers often fail to appreciate risk. That’s part of the reason why we have child labor laws. Children often can’t understand or fully appreciate the risk of injury from work.
Front-end loaders, car shredders and other large machines do amazing work. But safety isn’t something trusted to a teenager’s common sense. Seems like the owners of the yard have some explaining to do. It looks like these kids were engaged in child labor on the payroll, or they were working under the table. Neither possibility reflects well on the owner and manager of the yard.

Let’s at least hope that the injured teen heals fully and recovers his health.

David Sugerman