What Happens When A Child is Hurt in a Car Accident?

Personal injury cases are always, as the name implies, personal. Emotions and tempers can run high as you seek out justice for the pain that others have caused, and these cases grow all the more personal when it’s your children being hurt instead. Fortunately, parents and their attorneys are able to pursue financial compensation on the behalf of their kids, and courts tend to be extremely sympathetic to their suffering.

Of course, with the proper use of safety devices, your child will be at a far lower risk of injury, especially considering that over half of children killed in accidents each year are unrestrained. However, even with precautionary measures, there’s always a chance things could go wrong in a car accident—if they do, you should know what to expect by calling a car accident lawyer in your area. 

Children Are the First Priority

Before even considering the claims process, your child’s safety and well-being come before all else. Young children can have trouble accurately conveying their injuries, are physically vulnerable, and are more susceptible to mental traumas stemming from an accident, so you should be as thorough as possible to ensure they have a smooth recovery.

• See a doctor immediately. Even after treatment in the ER, you should schedule regular appointments with a pediatrician, to keep watch for injuries and provide evidence of the recovery process. You should keep an eye out for symptoms of whiplash especially, as these can be more severe for children with developing bodies, and oftentimes don’t exhibit symptoms for days or even weeks.
• Consider therapy. Though not every child will need therapy to recover, minors are at a higher risk of developing anxieties or vehicle-related fear after an accident. Counseling could help them get back on the road to well-being, and also help prove pain and suffering damages.

The Claims Process

First and foremost, you should never settle quickly when your child is injured. Insurance adjusters know that parents will pursue their legal options to the ends of the earth to protect their children, so they’ll often try to end things quickly with an undervalued settlement before you can talk to an attorney. Most insurance companies will offer to pay in full for a child’s medical expenses and recovery, as they have little to no odds of winning in court. 

However, even without a trial, the claims process still has extra considerations to keep in mind.

• You can’t represent your child if you were directly involved in the crash. You’ll need a different family member to file the case on their behalf, though there are exceptions.
• Compensation awarded to minors has strict monitoring requirements and is usually limited to 10,000 dollars unless a court approves a larger award.
• You have two years to file your claim after the accident, so you should wait long enough to be absolutely sure your child won’t have future medical complications to account for.

Hire a Nevada Car Accident Attorney

We don’t say this to coerce you into hiring us; it’s genuine advice. It’s important that you focus on your family after an accident, and the tedium of a complex claims process will only get in the way of that. By allowing one of the attorneys at Aaron Law Group to handle things for you, you can rest at ease and spend time on your child’s recovery, so please—contact us today at (702) 550-1111 to schedule a free consultation.