In a perfect world, no child would ever end up in harm’s way because of an adult’s irresponsible or wrongful act. As your family may have unfortunately learned, however, that exact scenario plays out all too often in the real world, and it sometimes leads to young people suffering life-altering injuries through no fault of their own.
Fortunately, just like an adult can sue another adult for causing them to suffer a preventable injury, parents and guardians of children who get hurt in preventable accidents can retain a personal injury attorney and file suit on their child’s behalf against the people responsible for their accident. These types of claims can be complex both legally and emotionally, though, so representation from a seasoned Glendale child injury lawyer could be vital to achieving the best possible outcome for your child.
What to Do After a Child Gets Hurt in an Accident
With relatively few exceptions, lawsuits and settlement demands based on child injuries will be built around the legal theory of “negligence.” This means that in order to get a favorable case result, a parent or guardian pursuing civil restitution on that injured child’s behalf will need to prove that a specific reckless or careless act by a named “defendant” directly led to an accident and that the accident in question was the direct cause of a specific injury sustained by the child which in turn will result in compensable losses.
With that in mind, there are several things that parents and guardians should prioritize after their child’s accident to make sure they have the best chances possible of civil recovery, most notably:
- Take photos of the accident scene if possible
- Make sure their child gets immediate professional medical care after the accident, even if they claim to feel fine in the moment
- Keep copies of all medical bills, reports, and treatment instructions
- Get contact information from anyone who personally witnessed the accident happen
A Glendale child injury attorney from our firm could help factor evidence like this into a comprehensive civil claim later on.
Recovering Fair Compensation on a Child’s Behalf
A lawsuit or settlement demand filed on behalf of an injured child can account for both short-term and long-term effects of their injury — for example, medical expenses that have already been incurred at the time of filing and expected costs of future rehabilitative and therapeutic care. It is also important in many cases to account for “non-economic” forms of harm as well, such as physical pain, emotional anguish, and a loss of overall quality of life.
It is worth mentioning, however, that there are some unique rules for how settlement negotiations must be handled when they proceed on behalf of an injured child, as well as rules for how civil compensation obtained on a minor child’s behalf must be kept and managed until the child is old enough to take possession of it themselves. A child injury lawyer in Glendale could go into further detail about these and other unique aspects of this type of case during a free, no-obligation, private initial meeting with a member of our firm
Contact a Glendale Child Injury Attorney for Help
It is worth emphasizing that the information listed here is just a broad overview of how cases of this nature work in practice, and your specific claim may play out very differently from others that seem similar on the surface. Your main takeaway, though, should be that your child has legal rights after getting hurt through someone else’s negligence which you can enforce in their name, and your whole family can get assistance from compassionate legal professionals with every step of that process.
While money alone cannot completely erase the trauma your child has unfairly had to experience, demanding fair financial restitution on their behalf with a Glendale child injury lawyer’s support can do a lot to protect their best interests now and well into the future. Call Phillips Law Group today to discuss your options and to speak to a member of our experienced team of injury lawyers.
