Injured Children In Atlanta
Our adult world is not an easy place for children. Most young people quickly assume that the playground is safe or that the swimming pool area is not dangerous, and do not give the matter a second thought. Moreover, children often trust adults to make good decisions that are in their best interest. Unfortunately, not all these things are true, all of the time. When injuries occur, they often have devastating physical, emotional, and financial consequences for both children and their families.
At Ford Law, LLC, a cornerstone of our practice is open and effective communication. In nearly all cases, the lawyer you initially meet with will be the professional that retains supervisory authority over your case. We quickly respond to your inquiries. Most client phone calls and emails are answered within twenty-four hours. Finally, we proactively inform you about important deadlines and events in your case, so you are never in the dark. Our clients are our partners, not our customers.
Atlanta Child Injury Cases
Our client-first philosophy is especially true for children, because children may not otherwise have voices in legal proceedings. At Ford Law, LLC, when injuries happen, we step in and become the voice and advocate for the child and family. Common kinds of incidents include:
- Playground Equipment: Playground incidents are among the most common causes of brain injuries for children under fourteen. Most of these venues have no professional supervision, the equipment itself may be loose or not well maintained, or the equipment may be built on the bare ground or other hard surfaces.
- Summer Camps: In their attempts to draw customers, many camps offer rollerblading, paintball, rock climbing, ropes courses, and other dangerous high-octane activities that are not always well supervised resulting in serious injuries to children.
- Amusement Parks: In a similar vein, guests often overwhelm some theme parks during peak times and safety rules are not always evenly enforced.
- Motor Vehicle Crashes: Although children typically recover faster than adults, they are also much more physically and emotionally fragile.
- Apartment Complex Injuries: Owners of apartments and rental homes have a duty to provide safe living spaces for the residents both inside and on the grounds of the apartment or rental home. However, too often children are the innocent victims of crimes that occur on the premises.
Damages in these cases typically include compensation for both economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as loss of enjoyment in life.
Legal Issues
Owners have a duty to ensure that their premises and equipment are safe for invited visitors of all ages; to that extent, they also have a duty to frequently inspect the premises and remove possible safety hazards. Many organizations try to short-circuit liability by forcing patrons to sign waivers or inserting waiver language into the fine print, but these “agreements” are not always enforceable. Similar issues apply to privately owned playground equipment and swimming pools. In most cases, the homeowner’s insurance policy is responsible for paying damages claims in these areas.
If the injury occurred at school, on a transit bus, or on other government property, special rules apply. In most cases, injured victims must first file a notice of claim with the city, county, state, or other government agency. These notices involve very strict formal requirements and time deadlines, and even a minor omission may result in the claim being thrown out of court.