By this time of year, students and parents have typically settled into new school routines in their new classrooms. A new school year can be exciting, and parents expect their children to be safe as their children transition into it. Unfortunately, the reality is that many children in Florida and throughout the United States are injured on school grounds each year. If your child has been hurt in a classroom at school, you need to reach out to a skilled Miami school injury attorney who can evaluate your case and help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
According to the research conducted by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, an estimated 2.2 million children ages 14 and under sustain school-related injuries each year. While a number of these are unintentional, they are often results of negligence, such as lack of teacher supervision or poorly maintained facilities on a school campus. In fact, lack of supervision causes or contributes to approximately 40 percent of playground injuries.
School injuries can have a variety of causes, including the following:
- Defective playground equipment;
- Failure to supervise;
- Failure to use appropriate safety equipment for a given activity;
- Improper food preparation;
- Lack of emergency preparedness;
- Insufficient maintenance on school grounds (such as not removing asbestos tiles).
When a child is injured on school grounds, the first question that needs to be answered is whether your child’s injury was caused by negligence. Negligence occurs when a person fails to use reasonable care in his or her actions, causing injuries to another person. Reasonable care refers to acting in a way that a reasonably prudent person would act under the same or similar circumstances. For example, a teacher using reasonable care would properly supervise very young children who may be using sharp objects, such as scissors, for a project.
If your child was hurt at school, the process of filing a lawsuit depends on several factors. First, does your child attend public school? If so, your state may have strict procedures you must follow to file a claim against a government entity. If your child was injured at a private school, the procedure to file a claim can change.
If negligence is successfully established, you may be able to receive compensation for certain types of damages. These damages typically include doctors’ bills, ambulance costs, hospital fees, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, and any other losses stemming from the accident. Of course, the exact amount of compensation you will be able to obtain in a given case will depend on the specific facts of that case.
If your child has sustained an injury at school, you need to speak to a Miami premises liability attorney without delay. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, we will examine the facts of your case and determine whether negligence played a role in the accident and resulting injuries. We proudly serve clients throughout South Florida. We understand there is nothing more stressful than dealing with a child’s injury, which is why we will handle your case with the utmost compassion. For more on your case, call us at 1-877-499-HURT (4878) or reach out to us online today.
More Blog Posts:
Florida Underride Accidents, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg, October 4, 2017
Segway Accidents in Florida, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg, October 4, 2017
Car Seat Injuries in Florida, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg, October 4, 2017