Atlanta Child Injury Lawyers

Find Justice with Our Experienced Child Injury Attorneys

When a child is injured, a family becomes focused on doing everything possible to help the child recover as fully as possible. Some injuries may be things of the past after a time of healing. Other injuries will mean a lifetime of disability. Rehabilitation and therapy will give both the child and the child’s parents the tools for maximum recovery and coping skills.

Atlanta child injury cases affect the entire family, not just the child. The financial pressure of medical bills, missed work, and long-term care can be overwhelming. Our Atlanta child injury lawyers are here to help child injury victims and their families fight for the fair compensation they deserve.

Common Causes of Child Injuries in Atlanta

Children suffer injuries in many ways, and child injuries can happen anywhere, from backyards to school buses to daycare centers. Common causes and circumstances behind many child injuries include the following:

• Playground injuries and playground equipment failures
• Other fall accidents and fall injuries
• Burns involving explosions, frying pan grease, car crashes, and flammable clothing
• Dog bites and other animal attacks
• Sports injuries
• Injuries occurring on school field trips, scout camping trips, and at day camps
• Injuries resulting from medical mistakes, such as brain and nerve injury due to meningitis diagnosed too late
• Birth injuries caused by medical errors during delivery
• Injuries caused by dangerous toys and other defective products
• School bus-related injuries, including broken bones, brain injury, spinal cord injury, or fatality
• Car accidents involving negligent driver behavior
• Daycare negligence or abuse at daycare centers

Such injuries do not always happen because of obvious accidents. Sometimes a child suffered harm because of someone else’s negligence, a defective product, or a negligent driver who was not paying attention. Property owners also have a legal responsibility to protect children from known dangers on their land, including under the attractive nuisance doctrine.

What Is the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine?

The attractive nuisance doctrine is a rule under Georgia law that holds property owners responsible when a child’s curiosity leads them onto private property, and they are injured by a dangerous feature. Swimming pools, trampolines, and abandoned equipment are common examples of attractive nuisance hazards. Property owners who know children are likely to be drawn to these features must take reasonable steps to secure them.

Georgia courts recognize that young children cannot always appreciate danger the way adults do. The attractive nuisance doctrine exists to fill that gap. If a child suffered an injury on someone else’s property because of an unsecured hazard, establishing liability against the property owner may be possible even if the child was technically trespassing. Child injury victims hurt by attractive nuisance situations deserve the same access to justice as any other injury victims.

Daycare Negligence and Child Injuries

Daycare negligence is a serious and growing concern for families in Atlanta. Parents trust daycare centers and daycare workers to keep their children safe. When that trust is broken, child injuries can be severe. Falls from playground equipment, improper supervision, child abuse, or unsafe conditions at daycare centers can all lead to a child injury case.

Daycare workers and daycare centers have a legal responsibility to meet minimum safety standards. When they fail, and a child suffered harm as a result, the center and its operators may be among the liable parties in a personal injury lawsuit. Georgia law allows families to hold responsible parties accountable for daycare negligence just as they would in any other child injury situation.

The Challenge for Child Injury Attorneys

The challenge for Atlanta child injury lawyers representing victim children is to help ensure that compensation is sufficient to cover costs realistically:

• Medical expenses, including provisions for plastic surgery or other corrective surgery
• Rehabilitation
• Therapy
• Necessary medical equipment, including planned replacements as a child’s age increases over a lifetime
• Home remodeling or outfitting that may be necessary
• Future medical expenses for ongoing care
• Special education as needed
• Compensation for damages that child’s parents incur, such as child’s medical expenses and loss of their child’s services
• Compensation for pain and suffering and emotional distress
• Future earning capacity if the injuries affect the child’s life long term

Many child injury cases involve injuries that create both current medical expenses and long-term costs that must be planned for carefully. Traumatic brain injuries and birth injuries, for example, can require care for decades. A child injury attorney who understands how to calculate future medical expenses and future earning capacity can make a significant difference in the outcome of a case.

WHAT SHOULD A PARENT DO WHEN THEIR CHILD IS INJURED?

If your child is seriously injured, you should keep track of all medical records and contact an attorney as soon as possible. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not always handle severe injuries well. Having an attorney on your side helps to protect your family’s best interests while seeking compensation for your child.

Document everything related to the injury that occurred. Take photos of the scene if possible. Get the names of any witnesses. Keep every bill, receipt, and record connected to your child’s accident. This documentation becomes important evidence when building a child injury case and calculating the full value of your child’s medical expenses and other losses.

Someone’s negligence should never become your family’s financial burden. Our Atlanta child injury attorney team will evaluate the facts, identify all liable parties, and build the strongest possible case on your child’s behalf. Getting legal counsel early protects your options.

DO I NEED A CHILD INJURY LAWYER TO FILE A CHILD INJURY CLAIM?

When filing a personal injury claim, it is always a good idea to have an attorney on your side. An attorney will investigate the accident, identify all liable parties, conduct interviews, contract with expert witnesses when needed, file court papers, take care of all related documentation, and build a case to seek compensation.

The defense will likely have an attorney. Insurance companies absolutely will. Hiring your own personal injury lawyer means you don’t have to fight against these powerful adversaries on your own. Court procedures can be confusing, and one misstep can hurt your case. A child injury lawyer who knows the legal process inside and out handles all of that for you.

Moreover, insurance companies are often willing to exploit the anxieties surrounding serious Atlanta child injury cases to take advantage of struggling families. Having a law firm on your side helps protect you against these tactics. A settlement involving your child’s future should never be rushed or accepted without fully understanding what it covers, including future medical expenses and long-term care needs.

WHAT DAMAGES ARE RECOVERABLE IN A CHILD INJURY CLAIM?

Damages that may be recoverable in a childhood injury claim include:

• Medical Expenses
• Rehabilitation Expenses
• Home Modifications
• Special Schooling
• Respite Care
• Projected Future Expenses

Each childhood injury claim is unique. The best way to learn what your child’s case may be worth is through a private and confidential consultation at one of our Atlanta offices. This visit is free of cost and obligation, and will help you understand your rights and options.

HOW SOON MUST WE BRING A LAWSUIT ON BEHALF OF OUR CHILD?

The two-year statute of limitations gives you two years from the date of your child’s accident to take legal action. However, we strongly recommend you do not wait until the statute of limitations approaches to file suit. The longer you wait, the more complicated your case may become.

Georgia law does provide some exceptions for personal injury cases involving minors, but do not count on those exceptions to save a delayed claim. Evidence disappears. Witnesses move or forget. Responsible parties and their insurers start building their defense immediately. Getting legal counsel right away gives your Atlanta child injury case the best possible foundation.

Do not accept an insurance offer before talking to an attorney. Taking a settlement will bar you from future legal action, even if the payment is woefully inadequate. Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but the right settlement must account for current medical expenses, future medical expenses, future earning capacity, and all other impacts on the child’s life.

WILL MY CHILD BE TRAUMATIZED AGAIN IF WE FILE A LAWSUIT?

Children, like adults, have different responses to different situations. Therefore, it is difficult to know what your child’s reaction to a lawsuit may be. However, the Atlanta child injury lawyers at Chance, Forlines, Carter & King take every care to protect children from additional psychological trauma.

You should consider the damages that have already resulted from your child’s injury and carefully measure this against the potential risk for additional trauma. Compensation can be used for therapeutic and rehabilitative services, along with all expenses related to your child’s injury, which may make temporary discomfort worth it in the long run.

During your initial free consultation, we will answer any questions about the legal process and court procedures and discuss what may occur to help you determine if legal action is the right choice for your family.

WHAT WILL THEIR EXPERIENCE BE LIKE IF WE FILE A CHILD INJURY CLAIM?

The attorneys at our office have decades of combined legal experience helping injured children get justice. One of our primary focuses is childhood injuries and birth injuries. The care we take with these child injury cases is intended to protect the victim and seek compensation that reflects the full impact of the injury.

It is good to note that over 95 percent of child injury cases settle before they go to court. Therefore, it is improbable that your child will be required to testify or relive the events that led to their injury. A settlement involving a minor in Georgia courts must be approved by a judge to make sure it truly serves the child’s best interests.

Our personal injury law firm has successfully resolved child injury cases involving traumatic brain injuries, birth injuries, car accidents, playground injuries, daycare negligence, and someone else’s negligence in many other forms. Our Atlanta child injury attorney team is committed to getting every child injury victim the justice their family deserves.

WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS DIED DUE TO THE FAULT OF ANOTHER?

If your child’s death occurred in an accident caused by someone’s negligence, you have two years to file a wrongful death claim. These personal injury cases seek economic justice for families who have lost children and are separate from any criminal proceedings that may be filed against the responsible parties.

A wrongful death claim in Georgia may be brought by a surviving parent or on behalf of the child’s estate. It can cover medical bills incurred before the child’s death, funeral costs, and the full value of the child’s life. Georgia law recognizes the devastating impact of a child’s death and gives families the right to hold responsible parties fully accountable.

As with other personal injury cases, it is a good idea to discuss your options with one of our Atlanta child injury lawyers before accepting any offers from insurance companies. Child injury victims and their families deserve proper legal counsel before making any decisions that affect their child’s future or their right to justice.

CONTACT OUR ATLANTA CHILD INJURY LAWYER TODAY — FREE CONSULTATIONS

Was your child injured in an accident at home, at school, in traffic, or at a playground? Allow our Atlanta personal injury lawyers to explain how we can help your family receive compensation to help your son or daughter both now and over a lifetime. Our personal injury law firm serves injured children and their families throughout Georgia.

We represent clients in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Decatur, Jonesboro, and throughout Georgia. Our Atlanta child injury lawyers bring combined legal experience to every Atlanta child injury case and fight hard to protect child injury victims and the families who love them.

Take up the fight. Contact our child injury attorney team at Chance, Forlines, Carter & King, PC to schedule your free consultation today.