Top 5 Reasons To Hire A Lawyer For Your Child’s Accident Case
If your child has been involved in an accident and injury has resulted, you should hire an Ohio child accident lawyer sooner rather than later. Below are the five reasons to hire a lawyer ASAP:
1.Missing deadlines can destroy your child’s case
There are important deadlines that cannot be missed. The most crucial deadline is that for filing a lawsuit, referred to as the statute of limitations.
If this deadline is missed, the child cannot make a claim for their injuries.
The court system understands that kids have little control over whether they can advance a claim. To protect a child’s rights, that statute of limitations does not begin to run until the child turns 18-years-old. The statute of limitations in a typical accident case is two years, so the child will have until they turn 20 to file a claim.
In a dog bite case, the statute of limitations is six years, so the child would then have until their 24th birthday to file a claim.
In a medical malpractice case, the statute of limitations is one year, so the child has one year from their 18th birthday to file a claim.
2.Important evidence may be lost or destroyed
Parents want to ensure that their child receives proper medical treatment after an accident, allowing for the best recovery possible. Oftentimes, a fair amount of time passes before they consult a child accident attorney and sometimes this delay in action can damage the claim that the child may have.
Preserving evidence before it gets lost or destroyed can make or break a case.
An attorney realizes that they must gather and save evidence for the case’s sake, and this sometimes requires immediate legal action.
If the child is injured in a vehicle accident, it may be important to have the vehicle inspected before any repairs are made. Also, witness statements are often gathered as soon as possible while memories are still fresh in mind.
Photographing the scene of an accident, the resulting injuries, and other accident-specific things can help a case. While an attorney is very aware of this, a parent’s child may not be. Do not delay consulting an attorney regarding your child’s case.
3.Signing medical authorization forms can hurt your child’s claim
Signing documents before a lawyer looks over them could cause great harm to your child’s claim. Insurance representatives will try to get you to sign documents shortly after the injury, but it is imperative that you do not do so without consulting a personal injury attorney.
4.Don’t settle claims before consulting an attorney
Rushing into a settlement with an insurance company could cause serious financial harm to your family. Insurance companies often try to contact the parents of an injured child within a few days of the accident to settle the claim quickly. The money may look good initially until you later find out how serious the injury may be. Don’t let an early settlement amount be used entirely on medical expenses.
It is imperative to inform the insurance company that you will consult with an attorney to make sure that your child receives the settlement that they deserve.
5.Lawyers know how to protect child’s rights
Lawyers help to level the playing field between parents and insurance adjustors.
Insurance adjustors handle claims for a living so they have a huge advantage over the parents of injured children. This makes is even more important to contact an attorney who has experience with accident claims to ensure that your child receives the compensation that they deserve.
An attorney not only protects your child’s rights, but can also direct you to the best medical care in the area, or guide you through other things involved with the child’s injury.
The lawyers at our office do everything we can to help our clients. We care for them and want to help them receive the best service possible.
If your child has been injured in an accident, contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Doing so will only make the claims process easier for your family.
To speak to one of our child accident attorneys, call 800.637.8170. Our experienced legal team can answer any questions that you have regarding your child’s case and provide additional information to you to help throughout the claims process. Call today for a free case evaluation and to order a copy of the ultimate child accident resource, Little Kids, Big Accidents.
