Every parent dreads the thought of their child suffering any kind of injury and placing one's child in the care of professionals or an institution that might harm or neglect them is always a concern. The fact is, more than 14 million injuries to children take place in the United States each year. More than a fourth of those take place while in the care of schools or childcare institutions.
These entities and their employees take on some of the same responsibilities as the parent when children are in their care. In addition to educating students in their care, schools bear the responsibility of providing shelter and a safe educational environment. When a child is injured at school, it often is the result if either negligence or abuse of some sort.
No parent wants to think about such situations but it's important to know what action to take should your child be injured and determining the responsible party or parties may be the first thing you want to sort out when it happens. But who is responsible when a child is injured at school or a childcare facility? That may depend on a variety of circumstances.
For instance, bullying is something that has occurred as long as educational institutions have existed. And it's true that it often does not rise to the level of physical injury. Yet when it does, and child suffers injury, the offending child's parents may be held liable for the injury.
Likewise, if school administrators had had ample opportunity to discover and address the specific issue, yet did not act, a parent may be able to bring a personal injury claim against the school, as well. Should a child suffer abuse of any kind at the hands of a school employee, the school may be held liable for not properly screening or supervising the offender.
Negligence may, of course, cause accidents (likeslip and falls), which occur every day at schools. And injury from natural disasters or other emergency situations could also be attributed to the school if there was no adequate emergency plan or proper emergency procedures were not followed.
After seeking appropriate medical attention for your child, it's extremely important that you consult an experienced personal injury lawyer like those at Panio Law Offices who can advise on the specifics of your case, help sort out potential liability, and file a personal injury claim on your child's behalf.
Again, sorting out liability in situations where a child is harmed while in the care of another depends on a cadre of issues Panio Law Office attorneys are very familiar with and takes experience and knowledge of Illinois personal injury law.
If you have more questions about filing a personal injury claim on behalf of a child, call (708) 928-8680. We can help.