What To Do If Your Child Gets Injured At School Or Summer Camp

As a parent, you trust that the adults responsible for your children at school, summer camp, or a similar setting will keep them safe. Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen at school and camp.

Has your child been injured in such an accident? If so, ensuring they receive proper medical care is what’s most important right now.

That medical care may be costly. Be aware, depending on the circumstances, you might not have to pay these medical bills yourself. You may be eligible for financial compensation if you can demonstrate that your child was injured because another party was negligent.

How Your Child Can Injure Themselves at School or Summer Camp

There are various potential ways a child could sustain injuries in a camp or school setting. The following are merely a few examples:

• An accident occurs on a piece of playground equipment
• A child is injured while playing sports in Gym or Phys Ed class
• A hazardous condition, such as a wet floor or a broken ceiling panel, causes an accident
• A child is injured in an accident on a school bus
• An accident occurs while children participate in water-based activities

Again, that’s by no means an exhaustive list. Its purpose is to illustrate the various ways children can get hurt at a school or camp.

None of this is meant to frighten you! Teachers, school administrators, camp counselors, and other such parties have a duty to keep your child safe by exercising reasonable care. Often, they fulfill this duty. However, there are instances when they may fail to do so, resulting in harm to the children under their supervision.

How Negligence Can Result in Accidents at School and Summer Camp

Some accidents are just that: accidents that may not be anyone’s “fault.” On the other hand, it may not be uncommon for accidents involving small children to be the result of carelessness on the part of the adults whose job it is to keep an eye on kids in potentially dangerous settings.

For instance, maybe your child was injured at school or camp because no one was properly supervising them during a sporting event or free play period. Or, maybe the parties responsible for addressing hazardous conditions on the premises failed to do so in a timely manner, resulting in what should have otherwise been an avoidable accident.

In addition, depending on the circumstances, adults in charge of kids at school or summer camp may be considered negligent if they fail to account for health factors that could impact your child’s wellness. An example of this would be a school or camp negligently allowing a child to consume or come into contact with an allergen.

It’s not always clear whether a child’s accident or other such incident was caused by negligence. Thus, if you have questions about your potential legal options in these circumstances, strongly consider discussing the matter with an attorney for more information.

Seeking Compensation After Your Child Was Injured at School or Camp

Again, ensuring your child receives the medical care they need should be your top priority after they’ve been harmed. However, you may also prioritize looking into your rights in the aftermath of an accident at school or summer camp.

If you can show that your child’s injuries resulted from the actions or unreasonable carelessness of those tasked with keeping a watchful eye on them, you can file a claim with the negligent party’s insurance seeking compensation.

The process of doing so may involve the following steps:

• Coordinating with a doctor to document the nature and extent of your child’s injuries
• Determining precisely how your child’s accident occurred
• Correctly identifying the negligent parties
• Gathering evidence to prove your child was hurt as a result of negligence
• Estimating the potential value of your claim (although it’s important to know that no one can promise you will receive a specific sum of money)
• Submitting paperwork by a deadline, as you could waive your right to compensation if you submit your paperwork late
• Negotiating with the insurance company if they refuse to offer you a proper settlement

It may also be necessary to file a lawsuit and seek damages in court. Although the goal is typically to negotiate for a fair settlement out of court, suing is sometimes the best option when the insurance company won’t offer the settlement you deserve.

You don’t have to navigate this process yourself. At Swartz & Swartz, P.C., a Boston personal injury attorney is on hand to review your case at no cost to you. If you hire us, we’ll handle all these tasks, making the process of seeking compensation much easier. Get started today by contacting us online or calling us at (617) 742-1900.

Need Help?

If you or someone you know, needs help from a lawyer, contact the law offices of Swartz & Swartz, use our live chat, or send us a message using the form below and we’ll get in touch to assess your case and how we can help.