When a child is injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, the effects can be life-altering. Beyond the physical pain and medical treatments, child injury cases often involve:
- Emotional trauma and psychological scarring
- Disruption of normal childhood activities and milestones
- Costly medical bills piling up
- Parents missing work to care for their injured child
As the child grows older, their injury may continue to impact their quality of life, education, and future prospects. This is why it’s crucial to pursue maximum compensation – to cover past and future losses.
As Orange County children’s injury lawyers, Libra Law Firm understands the immense pain and trauma that families go through when a child suffers harm. We are dedicated to fighting for justice and full compensation for injured children and their families. Your consultation with us is free. Call us today at (888) 565-3214.
Common Child Injuries in California
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accidental injuries are a leading cause of death for children between 0 and 14 years old in the United States. In 2022 alone, preventable accidents resulted in 4,294 deaths among kids in this age group.
In California specifically, unintentional injuries are also a top cause of harm to children. These are some of the most common types of unintentional injuries children sustain:
- Cuts, bruises, and broken bones from falls, trips, and slips
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from impact accidents
- Burns from fires, hot liquids, or surfaces
- Drowning incidents in pools, bathtubs, or other water hazards
- Poisoning from ingesting toxic substances
- Choking or suffocation risks, especially for infants
- Bites, stings, or venomous injuries from insects, animals, or reptiles
- Severe internal injuries like pulverized bones, organ damage, and spinal cord trauma.
Common Causes of Child Injuries
Children can suffer injuries in various settings due to negligence or intentional harm. Some of the most common causes we have handled include:
Birth Injuries
Birth injuries are those sustained by an infant during the labor and delivery process, often due to medical malpractice. These can range from minor bruising to permanent disabilities like cerebral palsy or Erb’s palsy.
Car Accidents
Motor vehicle collisions are a leading cause of child injuries and fatalities. Children can be injured as passengers in a crash, as pedestrians struck by a vehicle, or from being left unattended in a hot car.
Defective Products
Over the years, numerous children have suffered severe injuries from dangerous or defective products like toys, furniture, and car seats. In some cases, the danger comes from the lack of proper safety testing and warnings from manufacturers.
Drowning Accidents
A child can tragically drown when there is a lapse in supervision around pools, bathtubs, or other bodies of water. A swimming pool can also be additionally dangerous to children if it falls short of California’s safety requirements such as enclosures and pool covers.
Premises Liability
Premises liability is the legal concept that applies when injuries occur on someone’s property due to hazardous conditions. Such hazards can be due to poor maintenance, lack of security, or other unsafe environments for children.
Dog Bites or Attacks
Because of children’s smaller size and inability to read warning signs from dogs, they are especially vulnerable to dog attacks, which can inflict devastating injuries.
School or Daycare Accidents
Actionable accidents can be due to negligent supervision, unsafe facilities, playground hazards, abuse by staff, and other forms of negligence when children are under the care of schools or daycares.
Sports or Recreation Injuries
Organized sports and playground activities each have reasonable risks. But when a child’s injury is caused by hazardous conditions, faulty equipment, or lack of proper safety protocols, the injury may be legally actionable.
Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents
Too many children in California have been hit by a negligent driver while walking or biking.
Abuse and Neglect
These encompass physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by caretakers, as well as neglecting to provide a child their basic needs. While abuse and neglect may be criminally punished, victims and their families may pursue a separate civil case to claim compensation.
No matter the specific circumstances, Libra Law Firm will thoroughly investigate to determine liability and fight for maximum compensation for your injured child.
Damages and Compensation Recoverable for Injuries To Your Child
While no amount of money can undo the trauma, obtaining fair compensation is an important step towards accountability and healing. At Libra Law Firm, we fight tirelessly to secure maximum damages for families in child injury cases. Depending on the specific circumstances, the compensation may include:
- All current and future medical expenses related to the injuries
- Costs of rehabilitation, therapy, medical equipment, home modifications, and the like
- Loss of future earning potential if the injuries impair the child’s ability to work
- Pain and suffering damages for the physical and emotional anguish
- Mental anguish compensation for psychological trauma to the child and family
- Damages for permanent disfigurement or disability
- Funeral and burial expenses, in the tragic case of wrongful death.
Our compassionate child injury attorneys understand that money cannot make up for your child’s suffering. However, a substantial settlement or verdict can help your family access the very best medical care, counseling resources, and supportive therapies on the road to recovery. More importantly, a successful claim can hold the negligent party accountable, giving you a sense of justice and validation after such a traumatic experience.
How Libra Law Fights for Injured Children
You can trust Libra Law Firm to explore every available avenue for your maximum compensation. When you work with us, our experienced attorneys will:
- Conduct a thorough investigation to determine liability and gather evidence to build a strong case
- Carefully calculate all damages, including current and future medical expenses, lost income potential, pain and suffering, and other losses
- Negotiate aggressively with insurance companies and opposing parties to maximize your compensation
- Take the case to trial if a fair settlement cannot be reached, leveraging our courtroom skills to present a compelling case to the jury.
Throughout this process, we provide emotional support, connecting your family with medical resources and counseling services as needed. Our team will stay in constant communication with you, making sure you understand the progress of your claim and are empowered with sound legal guidance.
Why Hire Libra Law for Child Injury Cases?
Libra Law Firm was founded by a parent and survivor, Attorney Sultana Kelantan. Every member of our team makes it their personal mission to be a reliable advocate for Californian children and their families. That’s why we provide families with compassionate yet aggressive legal representation during this difficult time. When you hire us, you can expect:
- Personalized attention from Attorney Kelantan and our team throughout the process
- No out-of-pocket costs through our contingency fee billing – we only get paid if we win for you
- Proven track record of million-dollar settlements and verdicts
- Comprehensive support connecting you with medical and counseling resources.
Your consultation with Libra Law Firm is free. Call us anytime at (888) 565-3214 for the caring, experienced legal help your family deserves.
FAQs About Orange County Child Injury Lawyers
Q: How long do I have to file a child injury lawsuit in California?
The statute of limitations (legal time limit) for filing a personal injury lawsuit in California is generally two years from the date of the injury or incident. However, there is an exception for child injury cases. For injured minors, the two-year clock doesn’t start running until they turn 18 years old. This means the child has until their 20th birthday to file a lawsuit over injuries sustained as a minor.
It’s still advisable to start the legal process as soon as possible after the incident while evidence is fresh. Don’t hesitate to consult for free with Libra Law Firm.
Q: What are my options if another child injures my child?
Situations where one child injures another can be complex from a legal standpoint. Generally, children cannot be held strictly liable or responsible for injuries they cause, even if the harmful act was intentional or willful. This is because children lack the same level of judgment, impulse control, and understanding of consequences as adults. However, there may still be options to pursue compensation depending on the circumstances:
- The parents or guardians of the child who caused injury could potentially be held liable if it can be proven they failed to properly supervise or manage their child’s behavior.
- If the incident occurred at a school, daycare, camp, or other facility responsible for supervising the children, the organization may be liable for negligent supervision.
- If the injury was caused by a dangerous condition on someone’s property that the child had access to, a premises liability claim could be filed against the property owner.
The viability of a claim really depends on the specific details of how the childhood injury occurred and who failed in their duty of reasonable care. Our experienced child injury attorney can evaluate the facts and determine if grounds exist to pursue compensation from negligent third parties.
Q: Is bullying considered a child injury that can lead to a lawsuit?
Bullying can absolutely constitute a form of child injury, both physically and psychologically. While seemingly less overt than a car accident or defective product, the trauma induced by bullying can have severe, long-lasting impacts on a child’s wellbeing. From a legal standpoint, bullying may open up liability in certain situations:
- If the bullying occurred at school and officials failed to properly address or prevent known bullying incidents, the school district could be sued for negligent supervision.
- If an employee or representative of a school or facility perpetrated the bullying against a child, the institution may be vicariously liable for the employee’s actions.
- In cases of excessive bullying, harassment, or intentional infliction of emotional distress, the perpetrators or their parents could potentially face civil claims.
- Bullying that causes physical harm like assault, battery, or injuries may also enable personal injury claims against the bullies or negligent supervisors.
The impacts of bullying should never be minimized. Persistent harassment can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, academic struggles, and even suicidal ideation in children and teens.
If your child has suffered psychological or physical harm from bullying incidents, we encourage you to discuss the details with us confidentially at Libra Law Firm. Depending on the circumstances, you may have grounds to pursue compensation and accountability through the civil justice system.
Q: What if my child was injured at school or daycare?
Schools, daycares, and other childcare facilities have a heightened duty of care to supervise children properly and maintain safe premises. If your child was injured due to negligent supervision, unsafe conditions, or abuse by staff, you likely have grounds to file a claim against the facility. These cases can get complicated, as there are special rules regarding claims against government entities like public schools. An experienced child injury lawyer will know how to navigate these complexities.
Q: Do I have a case if my child was injured by a dangerous product?
Yes – manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can be held liable if a defective or unreasonably dangerous product causes injury to a child. Defective products that commonly injure children include toys, furniture, car seats, sports equipment, and more. These are considered “product liability” cases, which have their own legal standards to prove. Our attorney can determine if the product was defectively designed or manufactured, or lacked proper safety warnings, to pursue a claim.
Q: How can a lawyer help if criminal charges were filed over my child’s injuries?
While criminal charges of child abuse, assault, or other intentional harm are handled in criminal court, you and your lawyer can pursue a separate personal injury case in civil court. A criminal case aims to punish the perpetrator, while a civil case seeks financial compensation for the victim’s injuries and losses.
The criminal and civil cases are independent of each other. Even if criminal charges are dismissed or result in a “not guilty” verdict, you may still recover damages in a civil lawsuit by meeting the applicable burden of proof.
Q: How much does it cost to hire a child injury lawyer?
Most reputable child injury attorneys, including our firm, work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us any upfront costs or hourly fees. Our legal fees are calculated as a percentage of the compensation we recover for you, only if we win your case. This affordable fee structure allows injury victims to access top legal representation with no financial risk. You have nothing to lose by consulting a lawyer about your child’s accident.
Call Libra Law Firm About Your Potential Child Injury Claim
If your child has suffered harm due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, don’t hesitate to reach out to Libra Law Firm for legal help. Our experienced child injury attorneys are ready to fight to hold the negligent parties accountable and secure maximum compensation for your child’s suffering. Call us today at (888) 565-3214 for a free, confidential consultation – you have nothing to lose by exploring your legal options.
