As parents, we try to find the right balance between protecting our children and nurturing their independence. As children step out into the world, they face more dangers, and we hope and pray that other people they encounter will be on the lookout for their safety and will not put them in harm’s way. But people are sometimes careless, and accidents happen. When harm comes to a child because of someone’s negligence, we need to hold them accountable.
The child injury attorneys at Wattel & York in Seattle understand how you as a parent feel when a child you love has been hurt. At first, you just want to make it better. Filing a negligence claim can help by getting your child money for medical treatment, therapy, and special services. But it’s not just about money—it’s about teaching people that they need to be responsible, caring human beings who don’t harm others, especially children.
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
Accidents involving motor vehicles are the number one cause of injury to children and the leading cause of acquired disabilities, such as paralysis and brain damage. Approximately 250,000 children are injured and 2000 die in motor vehicle accidents every year. That’s a huge tragedy for families and a great loss of human potential.
Aside from traffic accidents, cars pose other dangers to children, for example hypothermia if they are left in hot cars, or power windows that can cause strangulation.
BICYCLE, SCOOTER, AND SKATEBOARD INJURIES
To a child, a bicycle represents freedom and autonomy, and is a great form of exercise. But more than a quarter of a million children are treated in emergency rooms across the country for bicycle-related injuries. In many of these cases, a careless, distracted, speeding, drunk, or otherwise negligent driver was the cause.
As new faster and lighter scooters have become more popular, there has been an increase in accidental injuries. Wearing helmets and other protective gear can help, but drivers need to be alert whenever children are on streets or sidewalks to prevent hitting them.
DAYCARE INJURIES
When you drop your child at daycare, you are entrusting the person most precious to you to caregivers whom you expect to be trained, competent, and responsible, but this is not always the case. As child injury attorneys we see daycare injuries from
- Child abuse
- Child neglect
- Negligent supervision
- Daycare van accidents
- Failing to protect against foreseeable dangers
- Inappropriate physical contact/sexual abuse
DROWNING AND DIVING ACCIDENTS
Accidental injury and death around swimming pools and other bodies of water are often the result of negligent supervision or failure to equip the area with safety fences and alarms.
- Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 4 and the second among children 14 and under.
- Around 5,000 children 14 and under are treated in hospitals annually for drowning-related accidents; 15 percent die and approximately 20 percent have permanent neurological impairment.
- Diving accidents send about 6,500 victims, to the hospital every year, mostly adolescents.
Other causes of child injuries include birth injuries and medical malpractice, dog bites, burns, playground accidents, and falls.
MAXIMIZING RECOVERY WITH A SEATTLE CHILD INJURY ATTORNEY
Never sign any papers for an insurance adjuster without consulting a lawyer. As soon as you learn of an accident or other harm to your child, you should call the Seattle child injury lawyers at Wattel & York for experienced representation to maximize your child’s recovery. We can determine the cause of the injury, identify who was responsible, and preserve important evidence to prove your case, and you pay nothing unless we win money for you.