Spring has only just arrived and the weather is getting warmer, but already in the first few months of 2011 there have been 37 reports of drownings and 38 near-drowning incidents. In light of these alarming numbers and with the summer swimming season just around the corner, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is highlighting water saftey in hopes of saving lives. The agency has launched a public service campaign and provides safety tips at its website, www.PoolSafely.gov.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Each year, millions of people in the United States sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from falls, motor vehicle traffic crashes, collisions with moving or stationary objects, and assaults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates TBI will affect 1.7 million people, resulting in 1.365 million emergency room visits; 275,000 hospitalizations, and 52,000 deaths every year. In order to bring awareness to brain injury and the lives of those affected by it, March is designated as national Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Julia Beasley, a lawyer with the Montgomery based law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Lee County teacher who was injured in an incident that occurred on the campus of Auburn University. Frankie Askew Bell, an Auburn-area teacher, was severely injured when she was struck by a car while crossing the street on campus in November.

Julia Beasley, a lawyer with Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Laura Pullam, a paramedic who was killed Dec. 15 while on the job with Care Ambulance. Ms. Pullam was working the scene of a vehicle accident on Interstate 65 in Montgomery County, Ala., when she was struck by a pick-up truck.

The holidays, celebrated all over the country with strands of lights and glowing candles, can turn from joy to tragedy in an instant if some key safety measures are overlooked. Grim facts about injuries and deaths are not what consumers want to hear this time of year, but it's important to understand how you may be at risk and what you can do about it.