As a Seattle child injury lawyer, I understand that child injury cases are different from other personal injury cases because they present unique issues and can be devastating for the whole family. For example, a major way in which child injury cases differ from other personal injury cases is the fact that a parent or legal guardian must file the claim on behalf of their child. Also, the serious injuries sustained by a child could potentially have life-long effects on the child and their family. Because of this, it is very important for the attorney to be aware of the future costs that can be incurred by an accident, and must be willing to go out of their way to make the legal process as easy to understand for the family.
The leading cause of death and injury among children ages 2 to 14 is motor vehicle accidents. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, about 250,000 children are injured every year in car accidents. In many cases, there is very little a parent or guardian can do to protect their child from an accident caused by a negligent driver. However, safety restraint use has the potential to save the lives of countless children. Between 1975 and 2002, an estimated 5,399 lives were saved by the use of child restraints (either child safety seats or adult seatbelts) and in 2005, an estimated 425 lives of children under the age of five were saved by car and booster seat use. However, these restraints must be used correctly to be effective. Among 3,500 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inspections of child safety restraints, 72% were installed incorrectly. A properly installed and used child safety seat lowers a child’s risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4. You can read this article for more information about seat belt safety. Properly installing and using a child safety restraint such as a seatbelt or a safety seat can effectively reduce the risk of injury that children incur motor vehicle accidents.
Other common causes of injury to children are water related accidents, playground accidents, and the ingestion of household products. The second leading cause of injury death for children under 14 is drowning, which also sends many more children to the emergency room for non-fatal submersion injuries. There are, on average, nearly 10 drowning accidents that occur every day. One in four of these accidents involve children under the age of 14. For every child who drowns, there are four other children who visit the emergency room for non-fatal injuries that can be catastrophic nevertheless and cause brain damage, affecting the child’s ability to hear, see, and learn. Most of these accidents occur because of certain risk factors such as a lack of pool barriers and a lack of parental or adult supervision. Playground-related injuries lead to 200,000 kids being treated in United States hospitals. Many of these accidents occur with adequate supervision, but those that do not are easily preventable. Injuries that happen because of a lack of proper playground maintenance, or overtly negligent supervision may very well serve as grounds to pursue legal action. Children are more prone to injury than adults, therefore parental supervision is necessary to keep them safe.
If you believe that your child has been injured as a result of the negligence of another person, whether it is a lack of supervision by a school counselor on a playground, a motor vehicle accident, or a lack of pool barriers, you may have a case to receive compensation for the injuries that came about as a result of this negligence. You need an experienced Bellevue child injury lawyer to make the process as easy and stress free as possible. Here at Premier Law Group, we understand that you may have a lot of questions about an injury to your child. Our aggressive and experienced Seattle child injury attorneys are willing to help answer all of your questions and help your child recover the maximum possible compensation. For a free consultation and case evaluation, call us today at 206-285-1743. If we take your case, you will pay absolutely no legal fees unless we win.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.