Parenthood is always challenging and, at times, even difficult. However, there are many stages in your child's life when you are proud of them, and you celebrate every milestone they achieve. Those happy moments you will cherish forever. That being said, there will be times when you worry or are anxious about their wellbeing.
So, if your child suffers from any injury or illness, no matter how minor, you will do everything you can to provide them with the best care they need. In the case of medical negligence or an accident at school, you might need to make a compensation claim for personal injury on behalf of your child. This way, you will be able to afford any medical expenses. What’s more, if someone else is at fault, the consequences of the accident shouldn’t be on the victim.
Suppose your child is injured or a medic has misdiagnosed or made an error due to negligence. In that case, it can be extremely tough to keep calm as a parent and not lose the ability to think rationally. In this case, specialists in personal injury compensation will be able to help you and give you reasonable advice.
Types of personal injuries or accidents
There isn’t only one type of personal injury your child can suffer from, so if you need to claim compensation, your case might be among the ones eligible. Depending on your child’s age or situation, they can be involved in an accident at pre-school or primary school or are the victim of medical negligence. In each case, there are certain things you need to consider and action you need to take. For this reason, it is essential to know the different types of personal injuries; which are as follows:
- Accidents at school: Regardless if your child is in daycare, nursery, pre-school, and so on, if they are involved in an accident through no fault of their own or suffer from any personal injury due to negligence, you can claim compensation for it, provided you have evidence.
- Public place accidents: Accidents can happen at playgrounds or parks, without being too severe or because of any mismanagement. However, in a public play area, an injury can happen to a child due to poorly-maintained equipment, such as slides or swings, or if there are no security measures in place. If a company owns the playground, like those you can find within malls, a child can also be injured if the employees are not paying attention.
- Toy-caused accidents: It isn't uncommon for children to play with toys that are poorly manufactured, making them unsafe and dangerous. More often than not, the possible threats a toy may have aren't evident until it is too late. Otherwise, you would get rid of it. Defective toys that have easily breakable parts can harm children, such as causing them to choke.
- Medical negligence: If your child was in need of special treatment for a specific illness or had to undergo surgery, in any of these cases, the medical professional can misdiagnose or be negligent throughout the treatment process. For instance, a doctor might wrongfully prescribe medication or discharge a patient too early.
- Pregnancy and birth mismanagement: It is of the utmost importance that the mother is adequately monitored and taken care of for the entire duration of the pregnancy and during the baby's birth. This is vital to avoid any serious consequence related to the health of the mother or the infant. However, there are cases when due to mismanagement from the medical staff, a baby can suffer from severe injuries, such as Cerebral Palsy, which happens when the newborn didn't receive enough oxygen.
Steps to take before you file a claim
If you wish to file a compensation claim on behalf of your child who has suffered from any injury from someone else’s fault, you need to take into consideration some vital aspects. When you witness something like this happening to your child, the instinct is to check them and make sure there are safe. This is of the utmost importance and perfectly understandable. The next step is to call an ambulance if your child’s state requires medical attention.
If your child is the victim of negligence, after you have confirmed their wellbeing – and that of the others, if the situation requires it – it is crucial, you gather as much evidence as possible. After you have reported the incident to the appropriate staff, whether it is the city council, school management, or medical board, you will need to act quickly and collect relevant information which can be used as evidence for your case. So, it is vital you take as many photographs as possible showing how and where the accident happened, as well as of the injuries your child sustained. What’s more, if there are witnesses, it is essential you get all their contact details and brief statements.
When it comes to your child's treatment of the injuries, you must keep a record of all the expenses, such as medical bills, any equipment needed, or transportation. Equally important is the entire treatment process, so you will need to keep track of all the diagnoses, medication taken and recuperation length.
Following all these steps will help you file a personal injury claim and get the compensation that can help you cover all the medical bills. Specialists will be able to help you gather more evidence, given there is enough information that can benefit your case from the beginning. What's more, this way, personal injury specialists can properly calculate the amount of compensation you can get.
Factors that influence the compensation claim
Depending on how severe the injury is and how complex or lengthy the treatment is, the compensation will differ. Several factors can affect how much compensation you can get. Although they can be similar, this happens because such legal cases have individual specifics that need to be considered.
Besides the diagnosis and prognosis of the injury, including how severe and complex it is, the treatment can also be both costly and necessary for an extended period of time. In this case, your case can be eligible for a higher amount of compensation. What's more, besides medical and travel expenses, your child’s mental health is also an important aspect. Regardless of the severity of the injury, it is highly likely the child will also suffer from mental or emotional trauma. This aspect mustn't be overlooked, as taking care of your child's mental health is highly necessary.
