Florida Laws Protect Children from Power Line Towers and Other Attractive Nuisances

Like most states, Florida has numerous laws designed to protect children under the age of 18 from many common risks of harm, including personal injury. The reasoning behind such laws is that children have a lesser capacity to appreciate certain dangers and risks than adults; therefore, the government should have legislation and policies in place to protect them.

Among such protective legal measures concerning child safety is the “Attractive Nuisance Doctrine.” This doctrine is applied in the context of personal injuries to children as a result of a property owner’s negligent failure to warn, repair, or properly maintain the premises to prevent foreseeable harm to minors.

One tragic example of how this doctrine is applied in court involves the pending personal action lawsuit of Avi Davidson.  According to the St. Petersburg Times, in 2009, the Gaither High School student, who was 16 at the time, climbed a 35-foot power pole to take photographs and was thrown to the ground when he came in contact with a power line.  The teen suffered severe burns, lost his left arm from the elbow down, and was paralyzed below the waist.  The lawsuit alleges that Tampa Electric Co. was negligent for failing to warn people such as Avi Davidson of the dangers of power lines as well as failing to prevent access to the pole.

The child injury attorneys at PERENICH The Law Firm have more than 60 years of combined experience in helping children, parents, and families in the Tampa Bay, Florida area recover damages for injuries to children when others have needlessly placed them in harm’s way. If you are in need of a personal injury and accident lawyer, contact PERENICH The Law Firm today to speak to one of our injury attorneys . Our offices are conveniently located in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, and Trinity, Florida.