Shaken Child at the White House

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

For this toddler the White House fence is just another jungle-gym, but for her father it’s a Very Important Location, so when the child simply would not stop running around in his picture, he picked her up and shook her.

Shaken baby injuries usually occur in children younger than 2 years old but may be seen in children up to the age of 5. Shaken baby syndrome can occur from as little as 5 seconds of shaking. The result is a type of whiplash, similar to that seen in some auto accidents.

When an infant or toddler is shaken, the brain bounces back and forth against the skull. This can cause bruising of the brain (cerebral contusion), swelling, pressure, and bleeding in the brain.

The large veins along the outside of the brain may tear, leading to further bleeding, swelling, and increased pressure. This can easily cause permanent brain damage or death.

Shaking an infant or small child may cause other injuries, such as damage to the neck, spine, and eyes. Eye damage is very common and may result in loss of vision (retinal hemorrhage).

Three cops within 50 feet and a hundred tourists, and all of them with their eyes wide open!

“That guy shook his child,” I said to the nearest cop, and he actually looked embarrassed.

“I didn’t see it,” he said, but five minutes later when somebody put down a little white bag to take a picture, the same cop was instantly all over it, shouting “Whose bag is this?”

It might be a bomb!

It might be a bomb at a Very Important Location!