An Atlanta car accident can leave various victims in its wake, and the impact often varies depending on the individuals involved. Tragically, when a child is injured in a car accident, the consequences are particularly devastating. Children are more vulnerable to serious injuries or even fatalities in these crashes, making such incidents profoundly different from other types of collisions. That’s why it’s essential to have an experienced Atlanta car accident lawyer on your side after such a traumatic event.
A knowledgeable lawyer can explain your options for seeking compensation for your child’s injuries and ensure you understand the time limits for filing a claim with your insurance company. They can also provide insights into the average settlement for a child injured in a car accident, guiding you through the complexities of Georgia law.
When a child is injured in a car crash, hiring a skilled attorney is crucial. They will help you recover medical expenses and handle all aspects of your car accident claim, from dealing with insurance companies to addressing the specific circumstances of the accident. Don’t delay—schedule a free consultation to explore your legal options and secure the best possible outcome for your child’s recovery.
What Do I Do After a Car Accident Involving My Child?
Very few parents can remain composed after seeing their kids get hurt. However, after a car accident, your composure benefits your child. This is because you can make better decisions when collected. So, after an accident involving your kids, these steps can help.
Assessing the accident scene calmly is essential to gauge the extent of your children’s injuries. Even in a minor car accident, serious injuries can occur, necessitating immediate medical attention. Beyond physical harm, personal injury claims often account for emotional distress experienced by both the child and the parent. Handling the situation with a clear mind ensures better decisions for your child’s well-being and legal standing.
Check on Your Kids
The first thing to do after an accident is to check your kids. Here, you’d be checking that they aren’t in fatal danger. If possible, examine all your kids individually. You can also ask them to explain how they feel. Suppose you’re too hurt to conduct this check. Then, you can try asking for help from passers-by.
Assessing your child’s injury immediately is crucial, especially in motor vehicle accidents. Identifying any serious injuries early can significantly affect the accident victim’s recovery. When a child in a car expresses pain and suffering, swift action is essential. Understanding the details of how the motor vehicle accident occurred will be vital for future claims and medical care.
Stay Calm
Panic never helps accident victims. You can make terrible decisions in panic mode. Therefore, remaining calm is the best move. Furthermore, your children look up to you, especially in dangerous situations. If you stay calm, they’ll follow your lead. So, stay calm, avoiding confrontation until help arrives.
In a car accident, staying composed is crucial, especially when children are injured. As their legal guardian, your response can significantly influence the situation. Remaining calm helps you manage serious injury scenarios and potential life-altering injuries effectively. You don’t want to send them into any more emotional distress. This approach is also vital if you need to recover compensation later on for your car accident claim.
Call 911
Next, you have to call the police and other emergency services. If you need an ambulance, it’ll help to state this in the call too. When the police come, narrate how the accident happened to them. Furthermore, it would be best to follow up the investigation. The police report can help you identify the fault party.
Following this, filing an insurance claim becomes crucial for the accident victim. Serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, can incur medical costs reaching tens of thousands of dollars. A thorough police report can significantly impact your car accident settlement, ensuring you seek compensation.
Get Medical Attention
Medical treatment is crucial for all accident victims. However, it’s more vital for injured children. Children are too young to continue with life without adequate medical treatment. Therefore, it’ll be best to allow them to undergo therapeutic treatment. The medical treatment and records would even become crucial during a personal injury claim.
In cases of motor vehicle collisions, even minor car accidents can result in significant accident injuries for a child. Conditions such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder can severely impact a child’s health. Ensuring thorough medical care not only aids recovery but also strengthens a personal injury claim, highlighting the serious nature of the incident.
Can I File a Compensation Claim for My Injured Child?
Georgia is a fault-accident state. So, the responsible driver bears the losses of accidents. This would include different recoverable damages from the crash. For example, you can recover medical bills and vehicle repair costs. Therefore, you can file an accident claim for your child’s injuries. In addition, the law allows parents to file lawsuits on behalf of their kids.
Even if you and your child were injured sustained minor injuries, you could claim your medical expenses. The at fault driver will also pay for any other losses the child suffers. Notably, though, you’ll still have to deal with an insurance company. They wouldn’t mind that a child suffered an injury. Instead, they’ll employ various tactics to escape liability. That is why it is crucial to ave legal representation for your personal injury cases.
Extended Statute of Limitations for Injured Children
Atlanta accident victims don’t have forever to file compensation claims. Instead, they must initiate timely lawsuits. The Georgia Statute of Limitations thus prescribes how long you have to file an injury claim. Consequently, you have only two years to start an accident lawsuit. If you claim later than this period, the courts will deny your claim.
Fortunately, though, this statute doesn’t apply strictly to children. Instead, the statutory period starts counting when the child attains majority. This would ONLY be the case where you don’t file the claim representing your child. Here, your injured child must go to court personally within two years from their eighteenth birthday. A car accident attorney would be very knowledgeable about how to manage a car accident settlement with children injured, which is why you should ask for a free consultation today.
Restrain Your Kids While Driving
Properly restraining your kids while driving in Atlanta is crucial for their safety. While restraints cannot prevent accidents, they are proven to protect children during collisions. For instance, in 2017 alone, approximately 325 children under five years old survived car accidents in the United States because they were correctly buckled. Using appropriate seatbelts or child safety seats can make a life-saving difference.
Additionally, ensuring your children are properly restrained can impact more than just their physical safety; it also plays a vital role in legal and insurance considerations if a child is injured in a motor vehicle accident. In such cases, insurance coverage typically addresses bodily injury claims, and proper restraint can strengthen your case when seeking compensation.
When a child is injured in an accident, the at-fault driver’s liability may be closely examined, and your actions as a parent, such as ensuring proper restraint, can influence the resolution of claims. A properly restrained child demonstrates adherence to safety laws and responsible parenting, which may reduce potential disputes with insurance companies or during personal injury proceedings.
Therefore, take the time to secure your child with seatbelts or age-appropriate car seats every time you drive. It’s not just about compliance with the law—it’s about ensuring their safety and protecting your family’s rights in the unfortunate event of a collision.
Atlanta Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You!
Was your child in the car when you had an accident? Did they suffer an injury or other loss? If they did, then they may be eligible for compensation. An experienced car accident attorney like the ones at The Weinstein Firm are committed to helping you recover economic damages, non economic damages, and punitive damages for your personal injury settlements and car accident cases. We will be your expert legal representation for your car accident settlement.
At The Weinstein Firm, our lawyers have experience representing various accident victims. Therefore, we can handle child compensation claims. We’ve also recovered millions of dollars for our clients, helping them with their lost income as a result of their personal injury lawsuit. So, we can promise the best results based on our excellent track record. Don’t let your accident injuries hold you back, if you have been injured in any motor vehicle accidents lately, be sure to reach out to us to help you with your final settlement.
End your pain and suffering and call us today at 770-HELP-NOW for a free consultation with a trusted Georgia car accident attorney.
