Options for Recovery if Your Child was Injured in an Accident

When children are injured in a car accident it can be difficult to detect the injury or its severity right away; this is often due to the fact that children do not yet know how to communicate what they are feeling. The same rule applies to a child’s recovery following an accident. If a child is experiencing more pain or difficulty than is usual for their recovery, it’s important to have this assessed and noted by a doctor to make sure the child begins receiving the support they need right away.

If injuries suffered by a child in an accident are likely to result in long-term or even permanent damages, such as loss of mobility and/or impairment of academic, employment, and relationship opportunities, it’s important to explore every avenue of recovery for these and other damages.

If your child’s injury was caused or contributed to by another party’s negligence, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Personal injury claims or lawsuits arise when the negligent or intentional actions of another party result in serious injuries or damages. Damages that may be compensated in a personal injury claim often include medical bills, lost wages, and more, but may include some unique damages in the event of a childhood injury claim. Due to the fact that children are particularly vulnerable and constantly working through new stages of development, any delay to that developmental progress caused by an injury needs to be noted and compensated. While some damages experienced by a child after an injury may be temporary, any damage that is likely to go on to affect them and/or their opportunities in the future needs to be taken into account.

Children are constantly developing.

Children grow, learn, and change at a stunning rate, varying based on their ages. While this makes children extraordinary, it can also make them vulnerable. If a stage of physical or mental development is interrupted, it could result in short-term, long-term, or even permanent challenges the child will have to deal with as they grow.

From difficulties keeping up in school to a physical inability to participate in the same activities as other children their age, it’s important to sit down with a childhood injury expert to help you and your family understand what to expect, as well as how to best support your child as they become accustomed to a new daily life, be it for a few months, a few years, or longer.

It’s important to talk to an experienced child injury attorney.

Child injury cases are unique in both the approach and the damages that are often applicable. This is why it’s important to reach out to an injury attorney with specific experience handling childhood injury cases following an accident. Some injuries, like brain injuries, may not be immediately apparent, but changes in a child’s behavior, habits, and more may be identified and seen for what they are by an experienced child injury lawyer.

Additionally, the long-term effects of a particular injury may be difficult for someone without injury law experience to identify; this can result in a family accepting a settlement offer from the negligent party that could be significantly lower than the future damages call for. The good news is that most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations and even work on contingency, so that clients do not pay for their services unless and until they win their case. This allows injured children and their families to get the support they need without worrying about yet another expense.

To learn more about options for recovery if your child was injured in an accident, reach out to a childhood injury attorney as soon as possible.