Was your child injured in an accident in Macon, GA? Your family could face medical bills, transportation costs, and other expenses due to the accident. You should not have to cover these costs on your own. The person responsible for the accident should be required to pay. The dedicated child injury lawyers at The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers in Macon, GA, understand your struggle and will fight for the compensation your family deserves through a personal injury claim.
If your child was hurt due to someone else’s negligence, the at-fault party can be held responsible and legally liable for your damages. Our Macon child injury lawyers have secured millions of dollars for accident victims in Georgia, including children and their families. Our dedicated and compassionate legal team is here to answer your questions and get your case started. Contact our law office in Macon, Georgia, at (478) 292-7272 to schedule your free consultation today.
How The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help If Your Child Has Been Injured in an Accident
Sometimes, even an apparently minor accident can cause a serious injury, changing your child’s health and well-being. In some cases, the injury could have permanent consequences for your child. Unfortunately, insurance companies, at-fault parties, and their lawyers will not be in any rush to pay for your damages. Obtaining financial recovery after a child’s injury can take work, and our Macon personal injury lawyers can help.
Our compassionate child injury attorneys know how much you care about your child and the outcome of their personal injury claim. When you hire our dedicated legal team, you can trust us to do all of the following and more for your child:
- Carefully investigate the facts of the accident, including potential causes
- Identify any and all parties liable for your child’s injuries
- Collect evidence that will support your personal injury claim
- Hire experts to prepare reports and testify on your child’s behalf
- Estimate the value of your child’s personal injury claim and push for full financial compensation
- Negotiate with insurance providers and defense attorneys
- File a lawsuit on your child’s behalf
Since each case is different, the work involved can vary, but our goal remains the same: helping your family move forward and recover financially. Our lawyers will not stop working for your family until you get the financial help you deserve or all options are exhausted. Contact our office to learn more about what our Macon personal injury attorneys can do for you.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Macon Child Injury Lawyer?
Most child injury lawyers in Georgia work on a contingency fee basis. Contingent fees allow families in financial hardship to get valuable legal representation without high upfront costs. Instead, your family would only owe attorney’s fees if your lawyer recovers financial compensation for you. If your case does not succeed, you are not required to pay attorney’s fees.
At the conclusion of a successful personal injury case, your lawyer will receive a percentage of your settlement or trial award. You will receive the remainder once fees and costs are paid from the settlement. To learn more about our contingency fee agreements in a child injury case, contact our legal team today.
How Common Are Child Injuries?
Childhood injuries are common since kids are daring and adventurous by nature. Injuries from bike accidents, falls on the playground, and other everyday scenarios are mostly unavoidable. When a child’s injury was avoidable and caused by someone else’s negligence, the situation is different. Child injuries caused by negligence can be serious and even catastrophic. In fact, injury is a leading cause of death among children, with about 9,000 deaths occurring yearly among children due to injuries.
Common Causes and Injuries in a Child Injury Case
Some of the most common causes of avoidable childhood injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents. Car accidents are a leading cause of serious injuries for young and old alike. Children are especially vulnerable in a car accident–especially if they are not properly restrained.
- Falls. Drops from playground equipment, tree branches, bunk beds, and any high surface can cause serious injury. If the fall happened due to someone’s negligence, the child’s family will need help investigating and pursuing damages.
- Swimming pool accidents and drowning. Pools, lakes, and beaches are sites of fun and frolic, but also injuries and drowning. When children are not properly supervised by adults, devastating accidents can happen.
- Fires and burns. Adults usually know how to stay safe around flames and hot surfaces, but children are less cautious. Burns are a leading cause of injury among children.
- Poisoning. Kids’ curiosity can lead them to ingest dangerous and poisonous substances. Without proper supervision, children can become sick or severely injured due to toxic materials.
- Suffocation. Suffocation is a constant concern for children, especially infants. Loose bedding or blankets in cribs cause a disturbingly high number of child injuries. Older children can find themselves at risk of suffocation with certain objects as well.
- Pedestrian accidents. Children walking along sidewalks and public spaces are at risk of injury from passing cars, bikes, and even other pedestrians.
- Dog bites and animal attacks. Sadly, children are vulnerable to attacks from dogs and other animals in certain situations, especially when left unattended.
- Defective toys and products. Design flaws, manufacturing defects, or dangerous toys without proper safety warnings can cause injuries to kids.
- Attractive nuisances. An attractive nuisance is a legal term for objects and areas that can draw the attention of children and are not properly blocked off from trespassers. Unattended swimming pools, construction sites, abandoned buildings, large holes, and the like can attract children but lack any safety precautions to avoid injuries.
Other common child injuries can involve bicycle accidents, slips and falls, medical malpractice, injuries from fireworks and explosives, and sports accidents.
You should make sure that your child gets prompt medical attention immediately after any type of unexpected injury. Not only will medical care ease the healing process and avoid complications, but medical records can prove your child’s trauma in a personal injury claim. This will be helpful if you decide to file a child injury lawsuit on their behalf or if they decide to file a claim on their own when they get older.
Common Injuries in a Child Injury Case
Children can suffer a wide range of serious injuries after an accident. Some include:
- Lacerations
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Dental injuries
- Skull fractures
- Vision or hearing loss
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Back or neck injury
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Wrongful death
No matter what injuries your child has suffered, our experienced legal team will set out to recover the damages they deserve.
What Is Negligence, and How Do I Prove My Case?
Most personal injury claims are based on the legal theory of negligence. To succeed in a child injury case, you must prove the four elements of negligence to recover financial compensation.
The elements of a negligence claim include:
- A duty of care owed by someone to your child
- Breach of duty by the party who owed a duty of care
- Injuries caused by the breach of duty
- Damages suffered as a result.
Evidence used to prove negligence can include the following:
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Photographs
- Video footage
- Medical bills
- Witness statements
- Expert reports and testimony
Once you can prove that negligence occurred and your child was injured as a result, you may be entitled to compensation for your child’s damages.
Can We Recover Compensation If Our Child Was Partly at Fault?
Georgia is a modified comparative negligence state, allowing accident victims to claim damages as long as they are less than 50% to blame for the accident. However, your compensation would be reduced in proportion to your child’s responsibility for the accident. For example, if your child is entitled to $100,000 but is considered to be 20% at fault, their financial award could be reduced to $80,000. Under a comparative negligence standard, those more than 50% to blame cannot recover compensation for losses in a personal injury claim.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Georgia?
In most cases, Georgia’s statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of the accident. If your child was hurt, your attorney will make sure your case is strong and your lawsuit meets the filing deadline.
A Macon Child Injury Lawyer Can Help Your Family Today
You have legal options if your child was injured due to a negligent act. Our experienced and compassionate Macon child injury lawyers can help your family move forward with a personal injury claim. Contact the experienced lawyers at The King Firm Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers today to schedule your free consultation.
