Child Injury Attorneys in Chicago
Healthy, active children are prone to occasional bumps and bruises, and that is to be expected — but when children are seriously injured due to another person's reckless behavior or negligence, we believe that the responsible parties should be held accountable.
Our Chicago child injury lawyers at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC are dedicated legal advocates, committed to protecting the rights of injured children. You can rely on us to fully investigate your child's accident and aggressively pursue a settlement or verdict to cover the full extent of your family's losses.
Damages in Chicago Child Injury Claims
In serious child injury cases, special calculations may be needed to fully assess the damages because of unknown, long-term factors. Damages must be calculated to ensure that your child is fully compensated for his or her injuries for an entire lifetime. Factors to consider include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Pain and suffering, both physical and emotional, at the time of the injury and in the future as a result of the injury
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Costs of living with any permanent disability
- Loss of potential future earnings because of the injury
- Loss of enjoyment of life, particularly in the case of a permanent injury that will limit the child's activities in the future
- Mental anguish and emotional distress caused by the injury
- Loss of companionship and services for the parents, if the child is unable to participate in certain activities or perform normal chores
Causes of Child Injury
Seeing a child suffer from injuries caused by the negligence of another is one of the most difficult things a parent will ever have to witness. Some of the most common causes of child injury include:
- Car accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Playground equipment accidents
- Slip and fall accidents on someone else's property
- Swimming pool accidents
- Burns from overheated water or hot implements
- Dog bites
- School bus accidents
Child Injury Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks child injury data and reports the following key facts about unintentional injuries among children in the U.S.:
- Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 19.
- Millions of children are treated for non-fatal injuries in emergency rooms every year.
- Transportation injuries are the leading cause of death among children.
- Drowning is the leading cause of injury death for children 1 to 4 years old.
- Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to children.
- For children 5 to 19 years of age, the greatest number of injury deaths occurs in motor vehicle accidents in which the children are vehicle occupants.
School Injuries on the Athletic Field
Sports and physical education play an important role in the health and development of millions of students, from elementary school through college. School and athletic officials generally take every reasonable precaution to prevent student athletes from being injured, but any sport involving physical exertion carries potential health risks — especially those involving contact with other players. Injuries can range from sprains and broken bones to something far more serious, such as a concussion, which is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Because student athletes often do not recognize the signs of a traumatic brain injury in themselves, it is essential that coaches and other school athletic staff actively look for warning signs of brain injury or trauma. Some of the common signs of a traumatic brain injury include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Appearing confused or forgetful
- Being unable to recall simple facts, such as one's own name or the name of the opposing team
- Changes in personality
TBIs can have serious long-term effects on student athletes. A person's health can be further compromised if they do not recognize that they have sustained an injury and continue participating in physical activity. Permanent personality changes, mood changes, depression, suicidal thoughts, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and dizziness are just some of the possible long-term health issues associated with a brain injury or head trauma.
If your child has suffered a school sports injury, the legal team at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC wants to help you obtain the justice your family deserves. We can determine who bears responsibility so that you and your family are properly compensated. Contact us for a free consultation today.
Learn More About Your Legal Options After Your Child Has Been Injured
If the negligent act of another party has led to a serious injury to your child, it is important to your child's future to pursue full and fair compensation for damages resulting from the injury, now and in the long run. For 35+ years, our child injury attorneys at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC have been successfully handling a range of personal injury matters. We have been named among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, listed in Who's Who in American Law, awarded a Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Rating and a 10.0 Superb Rating on Avvo. You can have confidence that your child's injury claim is in capable, professional hands with our firm.
