As a parent, you can sue on behalf of your child for personal injury. This is true even for a baby with birth injuries.
Our law firm has represented many families in this situation. In most cases the lawsuit includes claims on behalf of the son or daughter and claims by the parents, who often need to take time off of work to be with their child in the hospital and, once released from the hospital, to care for him or her at home.
Personal injury attorney Fred Pritzker recently won $7.5 million for a young girl who contracted an E. coli infection and then developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kind of kidney disease that causes renal failure. Fred and attorney Eric Hageman also recently won $5.1 million from a trucking company for a crushed limb sustained in a crash, $10 million for third-degree burns and an even larger settlement (subject to a confidentiality agreement) for severe burns that resulted in the loss of limbs.
How Long Does a Child Have to Sue for Personal Injury?
Injured children and their parents need to be aware of the statute of limitations (the statutory time a person has to file a suit). Generally, your son or daughter will have until the age of 19 to initiate litigation, even if the statute of limitations would normally have run out before that time.
Child Injury Lawsuits Our Law Firm Has Successfully Handled
- Car Accident – When a child is injured in a crash, full compensation should include all medical expenses and pain and suffering, which can includes emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, and loss of quality of life. In addition, the parents may have a claim for loss of wages as compensation for the time they had to take off of work. If the child has been paralyzed, suffered permanent brain damage or has been severely burned, there will also be cost of care expenses that should be recovered from the wrongdoer. Our attorneys are some of the few in the state that have the experience and resources to handle accidents involving a semi-trailer truck. Your little one may have a lawsuit if he or she was a passenger in a car or other vehicle, was riding a bike, or was walking across the road.
Attorney Eric Hageman inspects a semi-tractor. - Recall Lawsuit – Our attorneys have won money for little ones injured by toys, furniture, food, vehicles, and other defective products. Our efforts have resulted in product recalls and millions of dollars for our clients.
- E. coli and HUS in Children – Our lawyers are some of the very few in the U.S. with experience in this area. We represent children who develop a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal illness that can lead to kidney failure, paralysis, blindness, brain damage, and heart failure.
This illustration depicts a three-dimensional (3D), computer-generated image of E. coli bacteria. Image: CDC/ James Archer. Illustrators: Alissa Eckert and Jennifer Oosthuizen. - Birth Injuries – One bad decision by a doctor, midwife, or other medical professional can lead to a lifetime of physical and/or mental problems.
- Playground Injury – A fall from a slide, swing set, or other equipment can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or spinal cord injury (SCI).
