Back To School Injuries: Do You Have A Case?

As children flood the halls of schools for a new year of learning, it's inevitable that some type of injury will occur. If a child does get injured on school grounds, the type of injury could delay their learning, cause them to miss a lot of school, and require extensive rehabilitation. In cases like this, it's a good idea to consult a personal injury lawyer. Most lawyers will take in anyone for a free consultation meeting to see if it's worth it to move forward with the case. In the school environment, there are a number of different ways that an injury can occur. Browse through the following five types of school injuries and see if it's worth proceeding for possible legal action.

Slip & Fall Accidents

The activity on the playground can easily turn into a little horseplay through the halls of a school. Whether it's running or just goofing off, a child may get injured through a slip and fall incident. This type of injury risk can increase when floors have been recently polished, waxed, or mopped.

During these cases, schools have a pretty strong defense for maintaining safety. There are often rules in effect for school behavior. Children are told verbally not to run in the hall, and signs are often placed on the wall. When an area of the school has been recently cleaned by a janitor, signs are typically placed on the ground. It's hard to legally blame the school for the injuries when these precautions are taken.

Some of the rare cases when the school may be held liable is when improper upkeep has caused the injury. For example, if a section of the school has loose tiles or missing flooring, then the school could be liable if a child gets hurt. The case could be made even stronger if your child was following the proper school safety rules, and the injury could have been avoided through proper repairs.

Lunch Room Injuries

Children often count on school lunches for a nutritious meal each day. When the food causes injury, it can create major health problems and ailments. When eating a school prepared lunch, you may have a personal injury case if the food preparation process was neglected. For example, the food may be under-cooked, past its expiration date, or served extremely hot and cause burns.

A lawyer can help break down the case, determine if the problem has happened in the past, and seek damages for injuries done to the child. Food allergy injuries may also occur in a school lunch room. For example, a lot of schools now feature a peanut-free table. If a child is exposed to peanuts while at this table, then the school could be liable for improper management of the table.

School Supply Injuries

Starting a new school year means that children will have backpacks loaded with new gear and supplies. Through either poor design or a manufacturing defect, some supplies could cause injuries. For example, sharp ruler edges could cut students, binder coils could snap shut, or school electronics could malfunction and cause burns. As the case moves forward, a lawyer will often investigate whether there has been a recall on the product or if there are any other active lawsuits. If there are other active lawsuits, your child's case may be packaged as a class action lawsuit.

School Sporting Events

The start of the school year also means the start of school sports. Soccer and football are just a few of the fall sports that children activity participate in. Parents and other students may watch the games as spectators. This puts them in the line of fire for flying soccer balls or collisions with fast moving athletes. Even though you may be just a spectator at the game, you normally do not have a case for an injury that has occurred.

This is because of a historical legal term known as the "Baseball Rule." Even though the rule is titled with baseball, it applies to all sports, including student sports. By attending a sporting game, you are assuming the risks for injury and understand that balls or equipment can sometimes extend beyond the field of play.

Instead of the year getting off with a rough start, you should contact legal help as soon as possible so you can move forward and plan any possible cases. The most important part is to ensure your child stays as healthy as possible.


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