If your child has been injured, whether through negligence or deliberate malice on the part of someone else, your world turns upside down. You have medical bills to pay, trauma to cope with, and a host of other problems that can leave you feeling as though you’re standing on quicksand.
An experienced child injury attorney can assist you in the legal process of determining who is at fault for your child’s injuries and receiving the compensation that both you and your child deserve. Contact the dedicated and compassionate team at Richard Rizk Law Office today at (503) 245-5677 to schedule a free consultation to explore your legal options during this difficult time.
Our Results
In previous child injury matters, Richard Rizk Law Office has been able to attain substantial compensation for our clients. Our recoveries for our clients have included payment for medical bills, extended therapy, and pain and suffering, among others. In many cases, these payments have helped children and their families move on with their lives following an accident.
What Are Child Injuries?
Children can be injured in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, although they bounce back faster from minor injuries, children tend to be more fragile than adults. Common severe childhood injuries include:
- Choking, burns, and broken bones involving improperly designed toys
- Crib deaths or injuries due to negligence from caregivers
- Drowning
- Dog bites
- Amusement park and playground injuries
- School bus and car accident injuries
If your child was injured due to the negligence, carelessness, or aggressive actions of another individual, it’s important to seek experienced legal counsel. By working with a qualified attorney, you can improve the support you’ll receive for your child’s injuries and ensure that you have the compensation necessary to move forward with your life.
Who Is at Fault for Child Injuries?
Child injuries are often particularly devastating. You thought that you were leaving your child in the hands of a trusted caregiver, but they turned out to be considerably less trustworthy than you thought. In some cases, the caregiver themselves—a daycare provider, a teacher, a babysitter, or even a trusted relative—is responsible for the injury. In other cases, you may find that the injury was caused by improper manufacturing or excessive danger related to a product that was assumed to be safe. Depending on the circumstances, the parent or your child may bear partial responsibility for some injuries. For this reason, it’s important to work with an experienced child injury attorney who will be able to walk through the facts and law with you, providing you with the support you need following your child’s injuries.
What Kinds of Damages Can Victims Recover for Child Injuries?
You wouldn’t have had your child injured for the world. Unfortunately, now that the injury has occurred, you find yourself in need of compensation for their injuries. Damages recovered in child injury cases can include:
- Medical expenses associated with the accident, including the estimated ongoing cost of future medical care
- Pain and suffering on the part of the child
- Care expenses to ensure that the child receives any specialty care necessary
- Psychological counseling expenses that will provide your child with psychological care as they overcome the trauma associated with the accident.
In some cases, you may also be entitled to seek “punitive” damages on your child’s behalf when the behavior of the party responsible was particularly reckless or outrageous. These damages aim to punish the wrongdoer and ensure that the same actions never harm another child.
How Do Responsible Parties Try to Avoid Paying Compensation?
In many cases, the individuals responsible for your child’s injury will try to deny responsibility. This is particularly true if the responsible parties are large corporations who have a vested interest in selling the product or service that harmed your child. They may try to deflect blame by pointing to caregivers or even the child’s actions as causing the injury.
Insurance companies, too, will often resist paying everything to which you and your child are entitled. In some cases, they may even try to convince you to accept a settlement offer for considerably less than what you are entitled to receive for your child’s injuries.
That is why it’s important to work closely with a lawyer experienced in handling matters involving child injuries. An attorney can help identify all parties at fault, and then protect you from tactics designed to limit their liability. Your attorney can communicate with insurance companies and opposing attorneys, and improve the odds you’ll get a compensation offer that is equal to what you and your child deserve following the accident. If adequate settlement offers do not materialize, your lawyer can also advise you on seeking compensation through litigation or arbitration.
What Will a Lawyer Cost Me?
You may already have substantial financial burdens associated with your child’s accident, from the cost of medical care to time that you’ve had to spend off work to take care of your child. It’s understandable you might worry a lawyer will just add expense you can’t handle.
But, that isn’t necessarily the case. At the Richard Rizk Law Office, we offer a free consultation to review the facts of your child’s injury and explore your potential legal options. In appropriate cases, we may agree to work for a client on a contingent fee basis in which we receive payment only once a case has been settled or a judgment has been paid. Feel free to discuss our potential fee arrangements with us during your initial consultation.
Get the Help Your Child Deserves
If your child has been injured in an accident, by a caregiver, or because of a defective product, don’t wait to contact an experienced child injury attorney. You and your child may be entitled to receive compensation. Contact us today online or at (503) 245-5677 to schedule your free consultation and to learn more about how we may be able to help you protect your child’s and your own legal rights.
