Now that school has started and fall routines are in full-swing, parents can breathe a sigh of relief that their children will be occupied and will not be at home all day. While this can take stress off many parents, there is also always the concern that your child may be involved in an accident and may sustain a personal injury while at school. If you do receive that dreaded phone call that your child has been injured, you may wonder whether you can hold the school responsible for any medical bills or other losses caused by the injury.
Some Injuries Are Simply Accidental
Children are often precarious, take risks, and do not watch where they are going. In addition, children in various stages of growth can be clumsy and have less control over their bodies. For this reason, children are prone to getting into accidents. If a child trips over their own feet and falls for no other reason, any injuries suffered can ruled purely accidental. In such accidents, no one else was at fault, so no one can likely be held accountable.
Schools Can Be Negligent
In order to hold another party liable for the losses you suffered from your child’s injuries, you must prove that the party was negligent in some manner that led to the injuries. Schools and their staff members can be negligent in many different ways that can cause or contribute to accidents and injuries to students. Some examples of incidents that are commonly caused by negligence in schools can include the following:
Slip and falls – LIke any other property owner, schools have the duty to keep the entire premises in reasonably safe condition. If something spills in a hallway, the school is expected to either clean it up in a timely manner or to adequately warn students of the hazard. If a school allows dangerous conditions in the hallways or on the floors and a student slips and falls and gets hurt, the school should be found negligent.
Playground accidents – Playgrounds must be regularly inspected, maintained, and must comply with safety codes. If a child gets injured due to a rusted swing, broken monkey bars, inadequate ground coverings, or other conditions, the school should be responsible for any injuries that resulted.
Assaults – Schools also have the responsibility to provide adequate security to keep out anyone who may cause harm to students. If schools allow someone to enter the building and they assault a child, the school can be held liable.
School bus accidents – Injuries can happen on school buses due to collisions, a failure to supervise the students, slip and falls getting off and on the bus, and more. In such situations, it may be the school or an independent bus company that may be liable for your losses.
Contact An Experienced Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer For Help Today
If your child was injured at school, you should not hesitate to discuss your options with the personal injury attorneys at Lavalle, Brown & Ronan in Boca Raton. Call for a free consultation today at 888-646-1315.