Cumming, Georgia Kids Car Accident Attorney
Georgia Child Accident Attorneys
Along with school bus accident cases, our child injury lawyers work on numerous child car accident injury cases. Whether an infant, toddler or young adolescent was in a car accident, if they sustained any injuries we can help you on their behalf. What is crucial to have a successful case is whether your child’s car seat or booster seat was properly installed because statistics show an alarming number of injuries or fatalities that could have been prevented had children been secured correctly.
According to the CDC, motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States between children ages 4 to 12 and the number two cause of death among children ages 1 to 4. One CDC study even found that, in one year, more than 618,000 children between the ages of 0-12 rode in vehicles without a child safety seat, booster seat or seat belt at least some of the time. Car seats have been known to reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4.
Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) show that the most effective way to lower the risk of injury and death for children is to properly install and use the appropriate car seat for your child.
We can’t stress enough the importance of making sure your child is secured safely in their car seat, but regardless, they could suffer injuries from being involved in an accident. The hope is that those injuries are minor. In any event, your child should be seen by their pediatrician immediately following an accident.
Child Car Accident Claims
There are actually two claims for compensation when a minor is injured during a car accident. Those are detailed below.
The child is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages. “Non-economic” damages include emotional stress, for example, while “economic” damages include a child’s reduced ability to earn a living in the future. This claim belongs to the child and does not expire until the child’s 20th birthday.
The second claim is from the parents for reasonable expenses such as medical expenses that were paid by the parents on behalf of the child between the date of the child’s injury and the child’s 18th birthday. In the case of a car accident injury, this claim must be settled or filed as a lawsuit by the parents within 3 years of the date of the accident or it will be barred forever.
When the insurance claim is paid for a child’s injury, a judge needs to approve the payment to ensure that the claim is paid in an appropriate amount in relation to the injuries sustained by the child and that it is in the best interest of the child to settle the claim for that specified amount. The judge will then enter orders requiring the parents to keep the child’s money in a safe and insured bank account until the child reaches an age where it can reasonably be paid to him. If a parent does not keep the child’s money separate and safe for the child to reach adulthood, the courts will assess severe penalties on the guardians.
Leave it to our child car accident attorneys at Leibel Law to advocate for you and your family after you’ve been involved in a car accident. However, no matter where you are located in Georgia, we will travel to you to help your child. Our stellar legal team understands just how much more stressful life can be for our clients following an accident, especially if their children were seriously injured. That is why you can count on us to deliver only the best legal representation. If you have a child who was recently injured in a car accident in Georgia, auto accident lawyer Steven Leibel and his team are here to help.