Child Passenger Injury

When you have your child in the car with you, your top priority is their safety. Unfortunately, you can’t control everything that happens on the road. You might find yourself in a situation where another driver has acted recklessly, and caused an accident. If you are in this situation, here is some information that you will need about child passenger injuries.

Car Safety Practices

100 years ago, the most common causes of injury and death to children were illnesses. Today, one of the most common causes of injury and death in children are car accidents. You can take steps to try to minimize the damage in the event of an accident by making sure that your child uses safe practices while in the car. For example, your child should:

• Use a car seat until at an appropriate age/weight.
• Not sit in the front seat until at an appropriate age/weight.
• Wear a seat belt at all times if they are too old for a car seat.
• Not distract the driver with screaming, sudden movements, etc.
• Always remain seated and buckled in while the vehicle is moving.

In addition, make sure that you practice safe driving habits when your child is in the car. Remind others driving your child of these safe driving practices as well.

What to Do in an Accident

If you get into a car accident with your child in the vehicle, you should first check to make sure that your child is ok. Make sure that there are not any serious injuries that need immediate medical attention.

The next step is trying to determine who is at-fault for the accident. It is always a good idea to call the police as soon as an accident occurs. The police can come and help determine who is at fault. They can also create a report of the accident so that there is a record. This record will be useful in the future, if you decide to file a lawsuit.

Make sure that you get the contact information of the other party involved in the accident. Take down their name, address, phone number, and the name of their insurance company. Again, this will come in handy later.

Helping Your Child

Even if you think that your child wasn’t injured or that they only sustained minor injuries, you should take your child to see a doctor as soon as possible. A doctor will be able to give a proper diagnosis of any injuries that your child sustained in the accident. Going to a doctor can put your mind at ease that your child is being properly cared for. In addition, if you decide to file a lawsuit later, you will have a record of your child’s injuries.

At this point, it is a good idea to contact a lawyer if the other party was responsible for the accident. A lawyer can help you determine if you have a good case and help you determine how to proceed. They can help with establishing compensation in the case, gathering and organizing evidence, and moving forward with paperwork if you want to file a lawsuit.

The Children’s Law Team branch of our firm has dealt with civil cases where children were injured in car accidents. We can guide you in the right direction if you need to get help for your child.