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When a child is injured, the parents or guardians can face severe emotional hardship. The child’s recovery could also bring sudden and unexpected financial challenges. Children that are injured by negligent adults could be entitled to financial compensation. A seasoned injury attorney could help a family pursue these claims.
If your child was injured, they could be entitled to a monetary award. This is true whether the injuries stem from a dangerous hazard like an abandoned pool or from a motor vehicle accident. An experienced Tacoma child injury lawyer could pursue legal action under any of these scenarios.
How Child Injuries Happen
Children can be injured in a variety of ways. Often, these injuries result from the same factors that lead to harm among adults. When child injuries happen, a qualified Tacoma attorney might be able to help. Some of the situations that frequently result in serious physical injuries to children include:
- Car accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Sports accidents
- Falls
Children are more prone to injury than most adults for a number of reasons. The bone structure of a small child has not yet fully developed, which increases the odds of a serious injury. Children also lack the decision-making skills of adults, which could lead them to suffer an injury when putting themselves in dangerous circumstances.
Compensation for a Child Injury
When a child is injured through no fault of their own, they could be entitled to financial recovery. Often, serious injuries can have lasting consequences for a child. Some injuries could impact their ability to care for themselves or earn a living as an adult.
A monetary award cannot completely undo the hardship an injured child faces. However, compensation could provide them with the medical care they need as well as improve their quality of life. Some of the types of damages that could be available to an injured child include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Diminished future earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
Determining what a child’s injury case is worth can be difficult, as it involves estimating what their future needs might include. A dedicated Tacoma child injury attorney could provide context for the current and future needs of a child.
The Attractive Nuisance Doctrine
The law recognizes that children in Tacoma require special protection from dangerous hazards. For that reason, state law has adopted something referred to as the “attractive nuisance” doctrine. Under this doctrine, property owners in Washington have a duty to prevent children from being injured on their property due to a dangerous hazard. This burden is in place even if the child was trespassing.
The attractive nuisance doctrine could apply to any hazard that is likely to draw the attention of a minor child. For example, this doctrine is often used when injuries occur in empty swimming pools, dangerous equipment, or abandoned wells. The property owner has an obligation to prevent children from entering the property and suffering an injury. However, when these injuries happen, a child accident lawyer in Tacoma could pursue financial payments from the property owner.
Talk to a Tacoma Child Injury Attorney Today
Few things are more traumatic for a parent than seeing their child suffer an injury. While it is impossible to turn back time and prevent your child from suffering harm, you could have the ability to improve their future by pursuing a civil claim.
Let a Tacoma child injury lawyer assist you with seeking justice for your child. Call right away to learn more.
