Was your child seriously injured in any kind of accident caused by the negligence of another party? You could be entitled to compensation for your past, present, and future needs. Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP fights for families all over Alabama affected by child injuries. Our child injury lawyers in Alabama can conduct a complete and independent investigation of your accident and work to make sure all negligent parties are held fully accountable.
Parents do not need to see their child suffer from the irresponsible actions of a company or an individual. Injuries to children are often the most traumatic, devastating, and life-altering injuries that we see in practice. When a child is injured or hurt, everyone hurts.
In extreme cases, individuals can sustain serious injuries that cause significant pain and require medical treatment. Some might need long-term care. If your child has been seriously injured, contact our child injury attorneys in Birmingham today. Our attorneys have experience helping injured children and can discuss your case at no cost to you. Call (205) 324-1212 today.
Why Do I Need a Child Injury Lawyer?
If another party’s negligence injured your child, that individual’s insurance company will likely contact you shortly thereafter. Agents for insurers often appear genuinely concerned about your child’s health, and they might say they want to take care of you and your child.
These representatives may also discourage you from hiring an attorney. Sometimes, they will do this by telling you that not retaining legal counsel will allow you to keep all of your money for yourself.
These suggestions are deliberately misleading. Insurance companies hate having to deal with lawyers because lawyers know what victims’ cases are worth. People without attorneys typically don’t know the true value of their claims, so they are much more likely to accept settlement offers that are often far below what they deserve.
You should avoid speaking to any insurer until you have legal representation. Contact Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP as soon as possible.
Our firm can handle all phone calls from insurance companies on your behalf so you do not have to worry about unknowingly making any recorded statements that ultimately damage your claim and your child’s claim. We can engage in settlement negotiations, and Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP will not hesitate to file a lawsuit when the insurer proves incapable of providing a satisfactory offer.
Why Choose Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP?
Our firm is committed to helping residents of communities all over Alabama, as Kirby Farris and Ken Riley were both born and raised here. Both attorneys and their families are Birmingham residents, and the people they represent are friends and neighbors.
Kirby Farris received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Alabama and his law degree from Birmingham School of Law, and Ken Riley obtained his business degree at the University of Alabama before earning his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Both are admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, in addition to the Alabama Supreme Court.
Mr. Farris and Mr. Riley are also both members of several prominent legal organizations, such as the Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Our firm also has a record of success that includes several multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements.
In caring for your child’s injuries, you have likely incurred several unexpected expenses and may be thinking that you cannot afford to hire a child injury lawyer. Do not let these concerns prevent you from contacting Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP, as we represent all clients on a contingency fee basis. In other words, you only pay if you get a financial award.
Cases We Handle
Various circumstances can injure children. Even when a child’s actions directly cause their injuries, someone might have had the legal responsibility to prevent the child from engaging in potentially dangerous behaviors.
- Automobile Accidents — Children are at greater risk in automobile accidents. Their small bodies aren’t as able to absorb the impact of an accident as adults, and they can suffer severe injuries. Motor vehicle crashes are frequently the leading cause of child injuries on an annual basis.
- Bicycle Accidents — Smaller children ride smaller bikes, making them harder for inattentive motorists to spot. Bicycle accidents can cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries to children. Your child is no match for a drunk or texting driver behind the wheel of a car or truck.
- Boating Accidents — Boating accidents can seriously hurt children. They face a high risk of getting thrown from the boat, suffering a brain injury, or drowning. Some of these types of cases may involve complex maritime law issues for which you will most certainly want experienced legal representation.
- Brain Injuries — Children are susceptible to traumatic brain injuries, especially when they are young. Concussions from sports, birth injuries, near drowning, and car accidents are dangers that face kids and worry parents. Many traumatic brain injuries, commonly known as TBIs, involve lifelong complications.
- Burn Injuries — Millions of children suffer burn injuries each year, and dozens die from burn-related injuries every day. Serious burn injuries not only involve agonizing pain and suffering, but some also result in disfigurement.
- Camp Accidents — Fun activities become dangerous for children when there is insufficient supervision at camp. When a camp is careless, a child may drown, fall off a horse, or sustain serious injuries playing sports.
- Child Crib Accidents — Cribs don’t always protect your children. Crib accidents caused by manufacturing defects and safety violations injure thousands of children each year. Drop side cribs are especially dangerous.
- Daycare Abuse — Many children experience neglect and abuse at daycare. Nannies and daycare centers may sexually, emotionally, and physically abuse defenseless infants and children, causing serious, lifelong injuries.
- Defective Toys and Products — Dangerous toys can cause lead poisoning, choking, burns, and other serious injuries to small children. Hazardous toys with design defects, some of which manufacturers should recall, hurt children every day. In many cases, manufacturers design or manufacture these products defectively or fail to include a warning about potentially dangerous misuses, making them liable.
- Drowning Accidents — Children have a high risk of drowning accidents because they can drown not just in a pool or the ocean, but also in small amounts of water like the bathtub. Children require constant watching, and poor supervision causes many accidents. A child’s drowning accident can result in injuries like brain damage, coma, and seizures.
- Electrical Injuries — Children playing with outlets and appliances can result in serious injuries. Electric shock can cause internal and external burns and, sometimes, death to a small child.
- Lead Poisoning — Lead found in toys, paint, and soil can cause cognitive problems, irritability, abdominal pain, and fatigue in children, especially if they are young and their bodies are rapidly developing.
- Mercury Poisoning — Children who have mercury poisoning can experience serious illness, memory loss, and sensory impairment. Unborn babies and children are at higher risk of poisoning because their brains are rapidly developing.
- Paralysis — Infant paralysis from cerebral palsy or a birth injury can lead to a lifetime of suffering. Child paralysis from a car accident or a fall at a friend’s house results in years of expensive medical treatment and therapies.
- Prescription Medication Error — Children can easily become seriously ill from even small medication errors. The wrong dosage or medicine may cause grave and even fatal injuries. Certain adults may be liable for allowing a minor to have access to dangerous prescription drugs.
- School Crosswalk Accidents — Distracted drivers, poor supervision, and broken traffic lights, among other factors, can cause school crosswalk accidents that injure children. A child in a crosswalk lacks protection and can sustain severe injuries.
- Suffocation/Strangulation/Choking — Babies and small children can easily choke, suffocate, and become strangled by everyday household items. Improper supervision, as well as defective manufacturing or product warnings, can contribute to the injuries and fatalities caused by things like blinds and crib accessories.
- Swimming Pool Accidents — Swimming pools are rife with danger, and pool accidents injure thousands of children each year. Someone is often found to have been careless when a child is injured in or around a pool. Common causes of these types of accidents include inadequate supervision, improper maintenance, or failure to warn of danger.
Every accident is different, and determining the exact causes can often be quite complex. In some instances, multiple parties could bear potential civil liability.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, a parent or legal guardian will file a legal claim on the child’s behalf. The case and any damages awarded will be based on the child’s injuries. Alabama has a statute of limitations of two years on all injury claims, but it is important to note that one exception to this limitations period concerns accident victims who are minors. In such cases, they may toll or delay the statute of limitations. You’ll definitely want to have an experienced child injury lawyer evaluate your own case to determine the particular time limits that apply and the most advantageous time to file.
The nature of a child’s injuries will depend on the type of accident they are involved in. Some of the most common kinds of injuries involve fractures (broken bones), sprains, and soft tissue injuries. Other more serious forms of harm may include neck injuries, TBIs, and spinal cord injuries. Some injuries may involve amputation or disfigurement. Burn injuries often involve several months or years of rehabilitation with potential lifelong complications. The most severe cases can result in coma or death.
Generally, it should not be stressful at all. Most courts limit the involvement of children in these cases, as most proceedings solely involve adults. A legal action might arise because of a child, but people typically understand that a minor cannot legally negotiate a settlement.
Child Injury Statistics
According to the Child Welfare League of America, Alabama had 26,189 referrals for child abuse and neglect in 2021. Of those reports, 25,782 (98 percent) were referred for investigation. That same year, the state confirmed that 11,703 children experienced maltreatment. Among these children, 52 percent were physically abused, 43 percent experienced neglect, and 18 percent were sexually abused. Child abuse and neglect in Alabama killed 36 children statewide in 2021.
A recent Alabama Department of Transportation report found that children 15 and under accounted for 2.9 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2020. The report also found that approximately 20 percent of children involved in motor vehicle crashes were not in child-appropriate restraints. Alabama bicycle accidents injured twenty-eight children 15 and younger that year. There were also 52 pedestrian accident injuries and six pedestrian fatalities in this age group in 2020.
According to the Alabama Child Death Review System, there were 63 child deaths resulting from traffic accidents in 2018. That same year, there were:
- Thirty-one child deaths involving firearms, weapons, or assault
- Twelve child deaths by suicide throughout Alabama
- Forty-two sleep-related child deaths
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Contact a Child Injury Lawyer In Birmingham Today
Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP has been fighting for families in communities throughout Alabama for over two decades. Our firm understands the many concerns parents face when someone seriously injures their child.
Did your child suffer severe injuries in an accident caused by another party’s negligence in Jefferson County? Call (205) 324-1212 or contact us online to have Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP review your case and help you understand all of your legal options during a free consultation.
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