Parents often find it almost unbearable when their child is suffering. It is worse when an injury is preventable and results from someone else’s failure to take reasonable care.
When your child gets hurt in a preventable accident, talk to the seasoned injury attorneys at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC. They can evaluate the situation and explain your legal options. A Connecticut child injury lawyer at our firm could identify the person, company, or government agency whose conduct led to the accident and hold them responsible for your child’s suffering.
When you get hurt because of someone else’s negligence, the negligent party owes you compensation for your losses. Negligence is a legal term that means not using appropriate caution to prevent injuries to others.
Children suffer serious injuries in many ways, and not all of them are due to someone’s negligence. However, many child injuries are the result of negligence, including injuries sustained because of a:
Children could also suffer injuries when a landlord fails to remediate hazardous conditions or keep a building in good repair or when a home builder uses toxic construction materials.
Our proactive team of attorneys in Connecticut can review your child’s accident and medical records. When there is evidence that someone’s negligence contributed to the injury, they can bring a legal claim against the negligent party for damages.
The compensation you claim in a lawsuit is called your damages. Damages are the losses you or your child suffered because of the injury.
The money a child receives belongs to the child. Prior to the age of majority (18) the Probate Court supervises what the money is used for and how it is invested. Parents usually cannot access the money a child receives as compensation for an injury, but they often can assert their own claims related to their child’s injury for medical expenses incurred in caring for their child’s injury.
Your child is entitled to receive compensation for the pain and fear they suffered due to the injury. If the injury leaves permanent scars or have a lasting impact on their physical or mental functioning, the child may collect damages for disfigurement, disability, lost opportunities, and lost enjoyment of life.
When the injuries will require ongoing medical treatment, a child could receive payment for the injury-related healthcare expenses they will have as an adult. If the injuries prevent the child from supporting themselves as an adult, they can receive damages for their reduced earning capacity.
Parents can claim reimbursement for medical expenses related to their child’s medical treatment and supportive care. In some circumstances in which a parent witnessed a severe injury to their child, they may bring a claim for emotional distress.
Connecticut is very strict about the timeframe for bringing child injury claims. Connecticut General Statutes § 52-584 requires a child’s parent or guardian to file a lawsuit within two years of the injury. When the injury was not apparent immediately, a parent could bring a claim within two years of the date they discovered it, but no later than three years after the injury occurred.
However, the timeframe is shorter if the responsible party (the defendant) is a school or a local government. When suing a government defendant, you must submit a document called a notice of claim within as little as 90 days or six months depending upon the nature of the injury and type of governmental entity involved. Engaging a child injury lawyer in Connecticut soon after the accident ensures that all the necessary paperwork will be filed on time, preserving your child’s claims.
Many parents experience anguish over their helplessness when their child is injured. You can take action to help your child by bringing a lawsuit against the negligent parties who caused them harm.
The attorneys at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, have an extensive record of success in these cases. Contact a Connecticut child injury lawyer at our firm today to set up a no-obligation, complimentary consultation. We can meet remotely or in-person at your convenience. Call now to get started.
