Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer

How Common Are Child Injuries?

Of course, children are often injured over the course of their childhood. Unfortunately, many child injuries can be prevented when adults are careful.

According to the CDC’s data, about 9.2 million children visit emergency rooms with unintentional injuries each year. Millions more require some type of medical treatment due to an injury. On average, about 12,175 children in the United States die because of preventable injuries each year.

What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Child Injuries?

Young children often suffer serious physical injuries in accidents. Their bodies are still developing, and they’re often much smaller than adults. The long-term consequences of a child’s injury can be much more far-reaching than their initial physical injuries.

Depending on the type of injury, some of the long-term consequences of a child injury may include:

• Long-term physical disabilities
• Cognitive impairment
• Anxiety disorders
• PTSD and fear
• Distrust of adults
• Loss of the ability to enjoy a normal childhood

The emotional and psychological scars caused by a childhood injury can take years to heal. Our lawyers will carefully consider the full impact of the injury on your child’s life when assessing your case value. Just give us a quick call to get started today.

What Causes Most Child Injuries?

Every child injury is unique. However, there are some situations that are much more likely to result in a child’s injury than others.

Some of the most common causes of childhood injuries in Pinellas County include:
 

• Car accidents
• Falls
• Swimming pool accidents
• Near drownings
• Slip and fall accidents
• Playground accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• School bus accidents
• Accidents in schools and daycares
• Sports accidents
• Fires and burns
• Poisonings 
• Choking on food or small toys or objects
• Being struck by an object
• Dog bites and animal attacks
• Defective products
• Negligent security
• Medical malpractice
• Intentional child abuse

Regardless of how your child was hurt, we’re here to fight to hold the responsible parties accountable. Just call for your free case evaluation today.

How Do I Prove Liability if My Child Was Injured in Florida?

Children are often injured when adults are negligent. 

The four elements of a negligence lawsuit are:

• The responsible party owed a legal duty of care
• They breached that duty of care
• The breach caused your child’s injury
• Your family sustained damages

These are the basic elements of any child injury claim. Depending on how your child was injured, however, different legal theories may be important.

Premises Liability Claims

Property owners have a duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. If your child was injured because of dangerous property conditions, the property owner may be liable for damages if:

• They knew, or reasonably should have known, about the danger
• They failed to fix the hazard within a reasonable amount of time
• Your child was injured because of the danger

Most of the time, property owners aren’t liable if a trespasser is injured on their premises. Under Florida law, adults may be liable if a child was injured after wandering onto someone’s property due to an attractive nuisance. One common example of the attractive nuisance doctrine is a swimming pool accident where a child wanders onto the property, and the owner has failed to take steps to keep kids out of the pool.

Caregiver Liability

You trust employees in schools, daycares, and summer camps to keep your child safe. Caregivers can be held liable if they fail to provide adequate supervision.

Caregivers may have a legal duty to:

• Provide adequate security to prevent reasonably foreseeable criminal activity
• Supervise children to prevent them from wandering off
• Train employees to recognize and respond to dangers

Was your child injured because a trusted caregiver was safe? Call our lawyers in Clearwater to learn more about this area of law today.

What Is My Clearwater Child Injury Case Worth?

The value of any personal injury case depends on the unique facts and circumstances of the case.

Factors that tend to be most relevant in assessing your case value include:

• The nature and severity of the injury
• The potential long-term impact on your child’s life
• The cost of medical treatment, considering your child’s future medical care
• Whether you lose wages to care for your child during recovery
• The nature of the at-fault party’s actions

It’s important to consider physical, emotional, and financial losses when assessing your case value. Insurance companies will tend to focus on the financial cost of an injury. Our injury lawyers in Clearwater are here to convince them to take you seriously so you can recover damages for all of your losses.

What Compensation Can I Recover for My Child’s Injuries in Clearwater, Florida?

Accident victims in Florida can seek compensation for financial and non-financial losses, including:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Future medical expenses
• Diminished future earning capacity
• Physical therapy
• Long-term care or in-home assistance
• Special educational needs
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Diminished quality of life
• Fear, shame, and humiliation
• Loss of a normal childhood

If the defendant’s actions were intentional or particularly shocking, the court may award punitive damages to punish the at-fault party.

How Long Do I Have To File a Child Injury Lawsuit in Florida?

The statute of limitations in Florida was recently adjusted for most personal injury lawsuits. There’s a two-year deadline for injuries sustained on or after 3/24/2023, and a four-year deadline for those sustained before that date. In most cases, the clock starts running on the date of the injury. If you don’t elect to file a lawsuit on behalf of your child, the clock starts to run on the date your child turns 18. However, there are exceptions to these deadlines; contact an attorney to help you determine the appropriate timeline for your case.

Contact a Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Do you have questions about your legal options after your child was injured? Contact Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Clearwater child injury lawyer today.