Accidents involving children
Children can be involved in accidents in a number of ways, here are just some examples of the kind of case our specialist team has experience of handling:
Accidents at school, nursery, and in the playground
When your child is in the care of a school or nursery their safety is always paramount, however if your child does suffer an injury it is important to consider whether this was due to negligence. The school or nursery have a duty of care to your child, and unfortunately standards can sometimes fall short. For example this could be due to a lack of supervision, lack of a risk assessment (or failure to implement it), to name just a few.
If your child has been injured at school or nursery then they may be entitled to bring a claim for compensation.
Public liability claims against a business or local authority
We are instructed in a wide range of cases involving claims against public bodies or businesses. These claims can include trips, slips, falls, and many other kinds of incidents in a public place.
We previously acted for a young child who developed severe stomach pains and sickness and diarrhoea following a visit to Huntley Gate Farm with her family. On investigation by Environmental Health, it became apparent that there had been a number of Ecoli claims after visiting the farm on that day. Liability was initially denied however Stephensons successful secured an award of £3,000 for personal injuries and expenses arising out of the incident.
We acted for a 6 year old boy who was seriously injured when playing at a friend’s house. He was running and moving away from his friend’s mother and ran straight through some glazing which was unmarked. Our client sustained multiple cuts to his face, ears and hands, including a significant laceration from his eye to below his chin, which resulted in permanent scarring. We worked on the claim for several years due to the serious and permanent nature of the injuries, achieving a settlement of £58,500 for our client. The monies have now been invested with the Court Funds Office and will be released when he turns 18 years of age.
Child neglect & abuse cases
We have a specialist team dealing with sensitive cases of abuse; this can include abuse inflicted by a parent or guardian, whilst in the care of social services, a school, church, to name a few. Visit our neglect and abuse injury claims page for more information.
Serious injuries
Claims involving serious injuries such as brain damage, head injuries, spinal injuries, and accidents that have led to the loss of a limb or serious psychiatric injury require the utmost care and skill. Here at Stephensons we have Solicitors dedicated to these types of claims.
In these types of cases compensation might need to cover ongoing treatment or care and pay for medical expenses for many years.
Child fatalities
No parent should have to deal with the traumatic experience of losing a child. It is an unimaginable situation and understandably the thought of claiming compensation is often the last thing on the minds of those left behind. However, should the question of claiming compensation following a fatal accident become an issue, our specialist solicitors can assist both in terms of representation at an inquest and looking at a possible claim for compensation.
Dog bite claims
If your child has been injured as a result of a dog bite or attack then they may be entitled to claim compensation.
Road traffic accident claims
Road accidents can involve children when they are travelling as passengers in a vehicle, crossing a road as a pedestrian, or playing in the street.
If your child sustained injuries when travelling as passenger then, regardless of whether there is a liability dispute over the circumstances of the accident, they will be entitled to make a claim for compensation as they are an innocent party. This can sometimes mean making a claim against a family member, which some people can find an uncomfortable prospect. However it is important to remember that car insurance is in place to be used when an accident happens, and your child is entitled to be compensated for their injuries.
