Can A Young Child Be Negligent?
Child accidents are the most difficult to deal with at most times as children are not meant to go through such stressful and overwhelming situations. The lawyers at our office have represented several children and their families after they’ve been involved in accidents ranging from serious injuries to fatalities. Read about past child accident settlements we have helped families receive after serious accidents.
Can a child be considered negligent?
There are many instances that can result in a child’s injury. Some child accidents are caused by equipment failure while others can be caused by the negligence of an adult. But, there are also some instances in which a child causes harm to another child. In this situation, can the child who caused the injury be held responsible?
For more information on child accidents, visit this section of our blog.
As we explained in our book, Little Kids, Big Accidents, children under the age of 7 cannot be held liable for their conduct as a matter of the law. An example of this would be if a child was riding their bike and accidentally ran into another child, injuring them. The child causing the accident would not be found negligent, no matter, however, sever the injuries.
This law stems from the notion that a child who is younger than 7 years old is not capable of knowing how their actions will affect others. This thought process makes it unfair to hold such young children responsible for another’s injuries if they are caused by accidental or reckless behavior.
Can a parent be considered negligent?
There are some situations in which a parent can be held liable for their child’s negligent conduct. This would be in situations such as a parent trusting a child with an object that they should not have, such as a gun or a car. If a child has access to these potentially dangerous items and then causes harm to another, a claim can be made against the parent for failure to exercise proper control.
Contacting a Child Accident Lawyer
No matter what the cause of your child’s injury, we recommend contacting an accident lawyer. Doing so will help you to ensure that you are taking all of the necessary steps to help protect your child’s legal rights.
 You can order our child accident book, Little Kids, Big Accidents, to help you understand the claims process.
