If your child sustained an injury in an accident due to someone’s negligence, contact the Bakersfield personal injury attorneys of Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers now to discuss the available legal options. You might be entitled to compensation for the medical bills and other expenses you incur from the incident. Whether your child got hurt in a car crash someone else caused or from medical malpractice, you could hold the at-fault party liable for their misconduct.
It’s upsetting knowing someone’s careless behavior harmed your child. When you hire us, we can represent you in your case and seek the maximum available compensation. We have experience pursuing legal action against negligent parties and holding them financially responsible for the accidents they cause. You won’t have to face this traumatic experience alone. We will remain by your side throughout your entire case.
You won’t suffer the burden of a complicated insurance claim or lawsuit. You can expect one-on-one attention and legal guidance with us in your corner. We will take over every legal aspect of your case and complete each step on your behalf. You won’t have to learn about state laws or fill out confusing paperwork. Your only job is to bring your child to their doctor’s appointments so they can heal.
Call Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers at (619) 233-5020 today. One of our experienced and trusted Bakersfield child injury attorneys can review your case during a free consultation and determine whether we can help.
Common Types of Child Injuries
Multiple factors can contribute to an accident that injures a child. Injuries range in severity and differ depending on the type of incident that occurs. Some victims make a full recovery, while others suffer long-term complications.
The most common injuries children sustain include:
- Electrical shock
- Drowning injuries
- Broken bones
- Infections
- Traumatic brain injury
- Internal bleeding
- Asphyxiation
- Soft tissue injuries
- Nerve damage
- Burns
- Lacerations
- Organ failure
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Suffocation
Knowing the negligent party could have prevented your child’s injury is devastating. You have a right to hold them accountable and seek the monetary award you need to pay for your child’s medical bills. You shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for any expenses resulting from the accident when someone else is responsible.
Common Causes of Child Injuries
Falling is one of the most common reasons children get hurt. However, child injuries can result from a range of other circumstances. Children are vulnerable. Any injury could cause debilitating physical harm or death.
The most common causes of injuries in children are below.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Accidents involving cars, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians can be catastrophic. Whether a child walks to school, rides their bike, or accompanies their parent on a drive, they could sustain debilitating injuries in a collision. Car crashes commonly occur due to factors such as:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Driving under the influence
- Failing to yield the right of way
Premises Liability
Anyone can get hurt on another person’s property. Business owners and homeowners must maintain the interior and exterior areas of their properties to keep guests safe. A child could suffer injuries in various locations, including:
- Schools
- Daycare centers
- Swimming pools
- Parks
- Family member or friend’s home
- Playgrounds
The property owner could be liable for the injury if their actions contributed to the dangerous conditions of the property. Common dangers that can lead to a child’s injuries include:
- Uneven sidewalk
- Potholes in a parking lot
- Poorly lit stairwell
- Faulty parts
- Unstable shelving or furniture
- Wet floor
- Malfunctioning escalator
- Damaged or missing handrail
- Unusual flooring transition
- Defective stairs
Defective Products
A manufacturer could be at fault for making a product that contains a defect. Inherently dangerous children’s products can cause serious injuries and health problems. The three main types of defects that can exist in products made for children include:
- Marketing defect – A marketing defect happens when the manufacturer doesn’t provide adequate warning labels. If a consumer doesn’t know how to use the product or the risks they face while using it, they could get hurt.
- Design defects – Design defects result from an inherent flaw in the design of a product. It makes the product dangerous even if the consumer uses it as intended.
- Manufacturing defects – Even if the manufacturer designs a product correctly, an error during the manufacturing process could create defects that can cause injury.
Common products that can cause child injuries include:
- Strollers
- Playground equipment
- Car seats
- Bikes
- Clothing
- Cribs
- Toys
Medical Malpractice
Healthcare professionals can cause injuries while caring for a child. Whether treating an injury or diagnosing a medical condition, a medical error can cause additional harm. The most common types of medical malpractice cases involving child injuries include:
- Performing an unnecessary surgery
- Using unsterilized medical tools or devices
- Administering the incorrect medication or dose
- Using too much or too little anesthesia during an operation
- Misdiagnosing an illness
- Misinterpreting the results of a diagnostic test
Airplane Accidents
In-flight injuries are common among children. Federal regulations have not yet required airlines to provide child restraint seats. Some infants and toddlers are too young for their own seats and could fall during serious turbulence. Many kids don’t receive the same protection as adults from normal seats and belts.
Children can suffer debilitating injuries on airplanes. They commonly occur due to scenarios such as:
- Spilled coffee or another hot drink by a flight attendant
- Bumping into a child’s arm or leg with the beverage cart while passing by
- Slip/trip or fall on a hazard in the aisle
- Objects falling from an overhead bin with a defective latch
Dog Bites
Injuries are often severe when a dog bites a child. Some children, especially toddlers, can’t fight off an animal attacking them. Their bodies are also small and susceptible to broken bones, disfigurement, and loss of limbs and extremities.
Dogs have powerful jaws that can tear through the skin and damage the nerves, tendons, and tissue below. An infection could begin and enter the open wound and travel throughout the body. Complications can arise from an untreated or life-threatening dog bite injury.
If your child sustained an injury in any situation due to someone else’s negligence, do not hesitate to contact Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers. Our child injury attorneys in Bakersfield, CA, are ready to relieve your burden and handle your claim for you. We will focus on investigating the incident and gathering evidence while you spend time getting your child the treatment they need.
Compensation Available for Child Injuries
The amount of compensation you can expect to receive from an insurance claim will depend on various factors related to the incident, such as the severity of your child’s injury and the total cost of medical care. Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers can file the insurance claim and negotiate a settlement on your behalf. We are aggressive during negotiations to try to recover the maximum settlement possible.
The money you receive for your child’s injury could compensate for various losses, including:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Physical impairment or disfigurement
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Emotional distress
- Property damage
You could also recover exemplary damages in a lawsuit against the negligent party. To receive this type of compensation, you must provide clear and convincing evidence of the defendant’s fraud, malice, or oppression.
If your child died in an accident someone else caused, you could file a wrongful death lawsuit for compensation to cover losses, such as:
- Medical expenses related to the fatal injury or illness
- Funeral and burial costs
- The reasonable value of household services the deceased could have provided
- The value of any financial support the deceased might have contributed during their life expectancy or the life expectancy of the surviving family member, whichever is shorter
Statute of Limitations Period for Child Injury Cases
If you want to sue for compensation for the injury your child suffered, you must follow a specific deadline. State law requires you to file a lawsuit within a two-year period, as dictated by the statute of limitations. That means you must initiate your lawsuit within two years of the accident date.
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases grants a three-year period. However, suppose you don’t immediately know the injury is from someone’s negligence. In that case, you will have one year from the date you discovered or should have reasonably discovered that a medical error caused the injury.
Your son or daughter might be old enough to decide they want to pursue legal action on their own. If they are a minor at the time of their injury, they will have two years from the date they turn 18 to file suit.
Contact Us
At Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers, we know how hard it is to see your child in pain because of the wrongdoing of another person. You will have the support of our legal team from start to finish of the process. We take a personalized approach with every case we take to meet our client’s needs. You will be our priority until the end.
If your child sustained an injury in an accident someone else’s negligence caused, call Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers at (619) 233-5020 for your free consultation. Our Bakersfield child injury attorneys are available 24/7 to talk to you about your case and the options available for seeking compensation.
