What Should I Do If My Child is Injured at School?
September 13, 2019 | Catastrophic Injuries
Schools are designed to teach children essential life skills and foster values such as self-improvement, teamwork, and other benefits that can mold them into well-rounded young adults. However, sometimes, due to a parent, teacher, or another student’s negligence, children can become injured at school or while traveling to or from school, and suffer physical, emotional, and mental damages as a result. If your child was injured at school, and you are wondering what to do after the accident, depending on the circumstances, there could be several options available for recovering compensation for your child’s harm and losses.
Common Causes of School Accident Injuries
School districts are required to provide a certain standard of care to children under their supervision. If a child is injured at school, on the playground, in class, or on the bus, while a school can sometimes be liable for a student’s injuries, there could be multiple parties at fault in the accident. Every year, more than 14 million kids are injured, and of these injuries, thousands occur on school property. The most common causes of school accident injuries include:
- School bus accidents – lack of supervision by a school bus driver, negligence by a passenger vehicle driver, bullying from other children on the bus
- Playground injuries – hazardous playground equipment, lack of supervision by a teacher, physical or emotional abuse from another student
- Food poisoning – unsafe handling of food by cafeteria staff employed with the school
- Slip and fall accidents – failure to maintain school facilities and ensure that sidewalks, equipment, and other items are secure and up to code
- Bullying – lack of supervision by teachers, bus drivers, and other school officials. Bullying can have lifelong physical, emotional, and mentally effects on children
School districts have policies in place to protect students if they become hurt while on school property, but what does this mean for parents of children who are injured at school, or on school transportation? In some situations, the child’s school can be sued for damages. But in others, a child’s parent might need to file an injury claim against the negligent teacher or bus driver to recover compensation for their child’s harm and losses caused at school.
Who is Liable When a Child Gets Hurt at School?
If a teacher or school official is careless and doesn’t monitor children entrusted in their care, and someone is injured, there could be several liable parties.
For example, if your child suffers head injuries at a private school, while a teacher was supposed to be supervising, the teacher and the school can be sued for damages. Alternatively, if a child is injured at a public school, while a school can be sued for the endangerment of a student, it’s more difficult to sue public schools than private schools.
Elements that are considered when determining whether a school injury claim in Missouri is valid includes the following:
- The degree of injury caused
- Where the accident happened (on school property, the bus, loading or getting off school transportation)
- Who was involved (one student, multiple students, a negligent school bus driver, teacher, or another school official
- When the accident occurred (during school hours, after school, on the way to school)
- Whether the child’s injuries could have been prevented (was a teacher supposed to be supervising? Did the incident happen in plain sight? Could the bus driver operating the bus prevented the accident?)
If you think your child’s teacher, school bus driver, or someone else is responsible for their injuries, by bringing a school injury claim in Missouri, you could be eligible to recover a settlement for present/or future pain medication, behavioral therapy, physical therapy, and other expenses.
Talk to a Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Today
No child should suffer physical injuries, emotional harm, or other preventable damages because of a teacher, school, or other school personnel’s negligence. If you are interested in pursuing a school accident injury claim in St. Louis, the Dixon Injury Firm can help. Our attorneys are passionate about fighting for the rights of victims, especially children, and will do everything in their power to recover the maximum amount of compensation for your case.
Due to an innate passion for winning and a commitment to excellence, the Dixon Injury Firm’s Missouri School Injury Lawyers are the leading choice when it comes to school injury claims in St. Louis. Our attorneys utilize a contingency plan to make their services more accessible and are available 24/7 to offer support to victims and their families.
Christopher Dixon’s efforts have recovered over $35,000,000 in damages for personal injury claims in St. Louis, and earned recognition from the National Trial Lawyers Association as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer.” For more information on how Chris Dixon and the St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyers at the Dixon Injury Firm can help recover the best results for your child’s injury claim, call (314) 208-2808 or contact the Dixon Injury Firm now.