Can You Seek Compensation If Your Child was Injured in an Accident?

Accidents, where adults are involved, will typically go through a personal injury claim process so individuals can obtain compensation for damages and injuries. A victim would meet with an Arizona serious injury attorney, build a case, and file a claim. When their Arizona personal injury claim ends, the victim will receive a settlement.

When a child is injured in an accident, does the process work the same way? Personal injury law indicates that a child does not have the same cognitive wherewithal to form sound judgments as adults have. This is why when it comes to children, there is a different set of rules that govern how to manage to obtain compensation.

How do You Get Compensation if Your Child is Injured in an Accident?

Any parent or caregiver can attest to the fact that children are accident-prone. Literally every day, there is the potential for an accident to happen. Although this is true, there are situations where a child is injured due to the negligence of another party and a personal injury claim is perfectly valid to pursue. 

There are a number of examples where another party’s carelessness has led to a child’s injury. For example, if your child is on the playground at school and gets hurt playing on a broken piece of equipment, this could yield a claim. If your child is riding on the bus and the driver falls asleep causing an accident that injures your child, this would result in a claim. Even if you are in a store and there is a spill that was not cleaned up or no signs were up warning customers of the slick conditions and your child slips and falls, injuring themselves, you have the right to seek compensation. The examples can go on, but suffice it to say, children aren’t always injured for simply being curious and adventurous, sometimes another party’s negligence is to blame. 

A minor is considered any person under the age of 18. Across the country, each state determines the rules that they set forth for how to obtain compensation for a minor. A minor may go about obtaining compensation a bit differently than an adult, but they are just as entitled to it if they have a personal injury case. Depending on the details of their accident, their case, just like an adult’s, can include pain and suffering, permanent injury, emotional trauma, and disability. In some situations, parents whose child is injured in an accident may also seek compensation. The cost of medical treatment for their child is an example.

When the legal process begins and negotiations take place, it is usually the parent that takes on these responsibilities, or they hire a Phoenix personal injury lawyer to do the work. In some parts of the country, a judge’s approval of a claim is necessary to move forward and settle. This may sound daunting, but it is mostly an easy process where forms are filled out, filed with the court, and then sent to the court for review.

Do You Need an Arizona Personal Injury Attorney?

If your child was injured in an accident in Arizona, call the Arizona personal injury attorneys at ELG to discuss your situation during a free consultation at (623) 877-3600.