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“Your child has been injured in an accident.” It’s the phone call no parent ever wants to receive. Finding out that your child has been injured can be devastating, and this is a scenario that no family should be forced to endure. Unfortunately, as a Fort Myers personal injury lawyer, I hear from parents who have received this phone call far too often.

Sadly, child injuries are common. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a child receives treatment for an injury in an emergency room (ER) every four seconds. As a parent, there is only so much you can do, and sadly, many children suffer injuries due to circumstances that are completely beyond their parents’ control. From school bus accidents and other school-related accidents to playground and sports-related incidents, children can—and do—suffer injuries in all types of scenarios.

If your child has been injured in an accident in Florida, it is important to make sure you know your family’s legal rights. It is also important to make sure you know what you should do next. Your family may be entitled to financial compensation for your child’s medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses—but you may need to act quickly to recover the financial compensation your family deserves.

Steps Parents Should Take When Their Children Get Injured in Florida

With this in mind, here are five steps you should take promptly after your child is injured in an accident:

1. Make Sure Your Child Receives the Treatment He or She Needs

After your child suffers an injury in any type of accident, it is important to make sure your child receives the treatment he or she needs. Take your child to the doctor’s office promptly or go to the ER if necessary. Tell the doctor everything you know about how your child got injured and try to help your child explain how he or she feels.

If someone else is responsible for your child’s injury, a Fort Myers personal injury lawyer will be able to seek to recover your family’s medical expenses from the responsible party’s insurance company. But, for now, you can use your family’s health insurance to cover any bills that come due. If you don’t have health insurance or if you need help covering your copay or deductible, your lawyer can go over the options you have available.

2. Preserve as Much Information as Possible

If you plan on speaking with a Fort Myers personal injury lawyer about your family’s legal rights (which you should), you will want to preserve as much information as possible. Write down everything you know about your child’s accident, and if you received information second-hand, be sure to write down each informant’s name and what was said. For example, if your child got injured at school, it will be important to clarify whether any of the details you received represent the school’s version of events. This version may or may not be accurate, and your lawyer will need to know what information requires further investigation.

If you have photos or videos from the accident site, you should be sure to keep those as well. You should also take photos to document your child’s injuries. When pursuing a personal injury claim for your child’s injury, the more information you can preserve, the better.

3. Avoid Blaming Anyone on Social Media

While it may be tempting, you need to avoid blaming anyone for your child’s injury on social media. This won’t help—and it could potentially be harmful to your family’s claim. The time to hold the at-fault party responsible will come, but for now, you need to keep the details of your family’s situation between you and your lawyer.  

4. Start Keeping Track of Your Costs

Under Florida law, families that are coping with the effects of child injuries have the right to recover just compensation for all the costs they incur. It is a good idea to start keeping track of the costs of your child’s injury. This includes out-of-pocket costs such as medical bills, medical supplies, and prescriptions, as well as your loss of income if you have been forced to miss work to care for your child.

Florida law also entitles accident victims and their families to proper compensation for their non-financial costs. This includes things like pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life. As you and your family work to move forward, if you can keep a log of the non-financial impacts of your child’s injury, this will help your lawyer build your family’s claim as well.

5. Talk to a Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer

Regardless of how your child got injured and who is to blame, recovering your family’s losses starts with hiring an experienced Fort Myers personal injury lawyer. There are several ways a lawyer can help from the moment your child gets injured, and the sooner you hire a lawyer, the more your lawyer can do to help your family.

Hiring a lawyer to file a personal injury claim costs nothing out of pocket. Your initial consultation is completely free. There are no costs or attorney fees until the firm receives a monetary recovery for you or your family. Your legal fees (if any) will be calculated as a percentage of the financial recovery, so you never have to worry about paying any legal bills as the case progresses. When dealing with a child injury, hiring an experienced lawyer will help you to protect your legal rights.

Request a Free Consultation with Fort Myers Personal Injury Lawyer Randall L. Spivey

If your child has been injured in an accident in Florida, we strongly encourage you to contact us for more information. To discuss your family’s legal rights with Fort Myers personal injury lawyer Randall L. Spivey in confidence as soon as possible, call Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. at 239-337-7483 or 888-477-4839 or reach us online at SpiveyLaw.com now.