When a child is seriously injured, parents have to consider many things. How will the injury affect the rest of the child’s life? What type of medical care will the child need? Is a negligent party liable for the medical expenses and other losses?
Finding the answers to these questions is critical to the child’s well-being. In some cases, working with a lawyer is the best way to accomplish this. Personal injury attorneys know how to calculate all of your losses and hold the negligent party accountable.
Children can suffer serious injuries in nearly countless ways, including:
- Concussions and broken bones from falls on playgrounds, vehicle accidents and sports injuries
- Choking/suffocation from defective clothing, toys or window treatment cords
- Electric shock injuries from faulty appliances
- Lead poisoning from lead paint and objects made with lead
- Birth injuries from medical malpractice
- Physical and emotional trauma from sexual abuse
- Brain injuries or death by drowning in pools or in a boating accident
- Lacerations, facial injuries and broken bones from dog bites
What can you do to move forward after your child is injured?
Regardless of how the injury occurred, it is important that the child receives immediate and adequate medical care. Depending on the severity of the injury, a child may need surgeries, rehabilitative therapy, expensive medications and medical equipment such as wheelchairs or prostheses. If the child suffered a catastrophic injury, he or she will likely need long-term care from specialists.
These types of injuries can have an enormous impact on families. Parents and siblings may have to take on medical caregiver roles. A parent may have to quit working in order to care for the child. The home and vehicles may need to be modified to accommodate the child. Special education may be necessary.
In addition to the stress and emotional toll this takes, families often need help paying for medical care. They may also need compensation for lost income and benefits. If a negligent party is responsible for the injury, parents can file a personal injury suit against them to recover compensation for the child’s past, current and future needs as well as for financial losses the family suffers.
