Children injured by the carelessness of others can receive help as they recover. Parents can seek assistance with paying medical bills and in helping young victims cope with the trauma of an accident. A personal injury claim holds those at fault financially responsible for these serious hardships and more.
Maison Law of Fort Bragg CA offers a free, no-obligation consultation to all Mendocino County families. It’s a no-risk way for parents to understand the level of support their child will need and how to hold an at-fault party accountable for 100% of it.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Someone Causes an Accident that Hurts My Child?
If your child suffers a serious injury due to someone’s carelessness, it’s a good idea to speak to a Fort Bragg Child Injury Lawyer in a free consultation about your options.
When the medical care costs rise, insurance adjusters get nervous about footing the bill and like to find ways to shed blame. They can try to blame the child or the parents for the accident. They may even try to imply the child’s injuries aren’t that serious, despite what doctors say.
A skilled Maison Law Attorney is a safeguard for young victims. We will fully investigate the accident and those involved. We collect the evidence to push back on any false claim an insurer may make. Then we negotiate for the most compensation possible. We are often able to get far more for children and their future well-being than parents could hope to win themselves.
Common Dangers for Children in Fort Bragg
Parents do their best to keep their children safe. But sadly, they can be exposed to hazards in the home and dangers as they must venture out to a school or even for some playtime in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, when careless drivers, negligent business owners, and property owners, even City of Fort Bragg officials, fail in their duty to keep people safe, children are often the first to get hurt. An accident might happen during a busy time along Dana Street as a school day is beginning. It might happen at an apartment complex after a landlord puts off fixing a stairwell or playground equipment.
We help families recover from these negligent mistakes that can seriously hurt children.
These are just a few of the most common types of child personal injury cases around Mendocino County:
- Dog Attacks – A dog bite incident too often involves a young, vulnerable victim.
Dog owners can be held liable for injuries or a heartbreaking death. - Traffic Accidents – A careless driver on a busy road like Highway 1 can forget to look up from a cell phone screen to see a light turning red. They can ram an SUV and hurt a child, even one that’s securely fastened in a car seat. Reckless drivers are also to blame for putting child pedestrians at risk around schools like Redwood Elementary Schools and in their neighborhoods.
- Premises Liability – Business and property owners owe all guests, customers, and residents a “duty of care” to keep all visitors safe. They owe children special care. They must try to remove hazards or put potential danger out of reach of young people who may not have the judgment to avoid risks.
- Fun Parks – A trip to a trampoline park or a theme park can expose a child to fast-moving excitement and powerful machinery. These businesses must be held accountable if they fail to fix safety issues and put a young guest at deadly risk. A hazard might take the form of an electrical shock, a fall from a great height, or even the actions of someone else allowed to act irresponsibly at the park.
- Drownings – A terrible drowning at a public pool, like at C.V. Star Aquatic Center or at an area waterpark, would leave the owners and operators financially responsible for a child’s death. A drowning accident lawyer would hold a business owner or the City of Fort Bragg fully responsible for a tragedy.
- Defective products. This is one of the hardest threats to remove, because it arises in our homes. A device or appliance in a child’s bedroom, living room, or kitchen. The hazards are presented by the devices and appliances brought into the home and around our children. These tools, appliances, and even toys that aren’t safe for home use can malfunction or release toxic substances. They can put a child’s precious life at risk. The manufacturers and the retailers who sold the product may have to provide financial support to close relatives. A property management company may also be liable for an accident involving features and utilities in a rental home.
Unfortunately, insurers can take their time to respond to your accident claim. This delay may leave your child waiting on support and your family facing massive doctor bills.
And after making you wait, they could also suddenly reject your claim without much explanation. This leaves you to pay for your child’s medical care out of your own pocket.
Your lawyer is your protection from this unfair treatment to make sure insurers take your child’s injuries seriously and act quickly before you are bankrupted by doctor bills. Your lawyer files a strong case, backed with evidence, and demands the maximum in compensation possible for your child.
What Type of Support Can My Child Receive in an Accident Settlement Check?
Children and their parents should receive everything they need to pay for the best medical care available. However, the victim’s physical challenges and mental hurdles in recovery must also be addressed.
A Fort Bragg Personal Injury Lawyer would be fighting to get basic needs fully covered, but would also seek support for things that parents may not know could be factored in.
- Money to pay for every medical bill.
- Money to hire a caregiver or in-home nurse to care for an injured child if necessary
- Money to cover any care the child may need in the future, including surgeries and additional physical therapy.
- Support to help young victims cope with the physical pain they are left with.
- Support for the emotional trauma children can be left with after a scary accident.
- Parents should be reimbursed for any travel costs that they build up while visiting doctors out of the area.
- Parents should have their income replaced if they must miss work or lose their jobs because they must stay home with an injured child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should Children Earn More in Support in an Accident Claim?
A skilled attorney would make sure special attention was given to the care the victim may need in the coming years. Children can experience injury complications as they develop into adulthood. A past injury can flare up in their teen years, requiring surgery and physical therapy to allow them to mature properly. Any settlement must include enough support for any type of relapse.
Can parents receive support after a deadly accident claims a child’s life?
Yes. After a tragedy, parents can file a wrongful death claim and seek help with their financial damages. This can include the cost of a funeral and burial for the victim. It can include money to help pay for any remaining ambulance fees and medical bills. Parents should also receive support for the loss of companionship they’ll have to cope with going forward.
How long does California allow for a child to file an injury claim?
In California, children have until they are considered adults to file a claim. Parents can file on behalf of a child at any time, but the statute of limitations is considered paused where a child is concerned. The countdown doesn’t start until the victim turns 18. At that point, they still have an additional two years to file a lawsuit over an accident and injury.
Contact a Fort Bragg Child Injury Attorney
After your child has suffered a serious injury caused by someone’s carelessness, contact a skilled Fort Bragg Child Injury Lawyer to discuss your case, free of charge. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out about all the benefits available to you and your child, and how to hold an insurance company fully responsible.
What’s more, if your child needs our help to secure more from those at fault, we don’t charge anything up front. We cover everything and don’t get paid unless the case is won for your child. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company must provide.
