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Fort Worth Child Injury Lawyer

Nothing compares to the terror and helplessness of seeing your child seriously injured. While you can’t take away your child’s pain, pursuing a personal injury claim against the party responsible for your child’s injuries can help ensure your child receives the best medical care possible.

If someone else’s wrongdoing or negligence caused your child’s traumatic injury, a Fort Worth child injury lawyer can help.

Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, represents young injury victims and their families in holding the responsible parties accountable and seeking full financial compensation.

Schedule your free consultation today by contacting our Fort Worth law office at (817) 420-7000 to find out how personal injury lawyer Jason Stephens can help your family.

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How Stephens Law Firm, PLLC Helps Injured Children and Families

Personal injury cases involving children are among the most complicated and heartbreaking. There is nothing worse than seeing your child injured and in pain, potentially facing invasive and difficult procedures. Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, believes your focus should be on your child’s health, not fighting insurance companies for compensation.

AV-rated founding attorney Jason Stephens has more than 25 years of experience handling complicated cases as a personal injury attorney. He is also an award-winning trial lawyer who has secured some of the state’s largest verdicts for injury victims. Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, strives to make a difference and level the playing field with the insurance companies you are up against.

You don’t need to fight insurance companies yourself; attorney Jason Stephens is here to help you recover the compensation your child needs for their injuries and hold the responsible parties accountable. Call the law firm’s Tarrant County office to set up a time to discuss your child injury case in detail.

Types of Accidents That Cause Child Injuries in Fort Worth

Every year, thousands of children are injured in accidents that also hurt adults, particularly car accidents. Many types of cases involving child injuries are unique, however. This includes school and playground accidents, nuisance attractions like pools involving premises liability, and dog bite accidents.

Stephens Law Firm, PLLC represents injured children and their families in all types of personal injury cases. The following are some of the most common involving young victims.

Car Accidents

Car accidents are one of the most common types of accidents involving children. Across the country, 675 kids 12 and younger were killed in traffic accidents and almost 117,000 were injured.

Traffic crashes are responsible for 1 out of every 4 unintentional injury deaths among children under 13.

Most traffic accidents are caused by negligence. If your child was injured in an accident by a distracted driver, drunk driver, or another at-fault driver, they can be held liable for your child’s injuries.

Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse is an inexcusable crime that leaves young victims with lifelong injuries. Sadly, about 93% of child victims of sexual abuse know their abusers. Sexual abuse is not just a crime; your child’s rights have been violated and Texas law gives your child the right to hold the abuser financially accountable through a personal injury claim.

Jason Stephens has represented victims of sexual abuse for decades. He has recovered millions for child victims of sexual abuse including a $24.4 million verdict involving the sexual abuse of 11 children by their pastor and a $4.2 million verdict for child sexual abuse.

Dog Bites

Sadly, at least half of all dog bite victims are children 3 and under. The average victim of a dog bite is a young boy just 5 to 9 years old. Nearly 26% of children who are bitten by a dog need to go to the ER or a doctor due to the severity of their injuries.

Dog bites involving children tend to be very serious as young kids are often bit in the neck and face. After a dog bite, your child may be left with the need for complicated surgery, disfiguring scars, and ongoing pain and mental anguish. Texas also leads the nation in fatal dog bites.

Under Texas law, dog owners have a duty to care for and watch their pets. They can be held liable for injuries caused by their pet. If your child was injured by someone’s dog, they can be held liable if they were negligent and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm or if the dog was dangerous with a history of aggression.

Medical Malpractice

You trust physicians and medical professionals to take care of your child. Unfortunately, pediatric malpractice can leave children with permanent injuries or a worsened health condition.

Medical malpractice comes in many forms:

Failure to diagnose
Delayed diagnosis
Misdiagnosis
Treatment errors
Medication errors
Birth injuries such as cerebral palsy

Birth injuries alone affect 6-8 children out of every 1,000 infants born in the U.S.

If you believe your child was injured through a medical professional’s negligence, Fort Worth personal injury attorney Jason Stephens will help you explore your options for pursuing a medical malpractice claim.

School & Playground Accidents

What child doesn’t love recess or a trip to the park? While playgrounds are designed to be a fun way for kids to get active and socialize, they often lead to injuries.

Nearly 200,000 kids every year in the U.S. go to the ER for playground injuries. 79% of these injuries involve falls. About 58% of playground fatalities are caused by strangulation.

Depending on where the injury occurred, a school, municipality, or private company may be liable for your child’s injuries if they were negligent. Playground equipment manufacturers can also be liable for dangerous playground equipment.

Swimming Pool Accidents

Accidents involving swimming pools are a leading cause of injuries and accidental death among Texas children. Every day across the country, two kids 14 or younger die in a drowning accident. Many victims also suffer non-fatal but permanent injuries such as traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries in pool accidents.

If your child was hurt in a pool accident at a public pool or on someone else’s property, you may have a claim against the property owner. Swimming pool accident claims can involve negligence like improper supervision or a faulty diving board. Claims may also involve premises liability if a swimming pool was a “nuisance attraction” for kids.

Who Is Legally Liable for a Child’s Injuries?

In Texas, personal injury victims have the right to hold an at-fault party liable for their damages. Any person or entity whose negligence or intentional actions caused or contributed to the child’s injuries can be liable for damages.

Depending on the circumstances of your child’s injuries, parties who may be held liable include a:

School or daycare
Babysitter
Property owner
Coach
Driver
Physician or medical professional
Dog owner
Product manufacturer
Criminal
Individual
Government entity

In some cases, more than one party is at fault for a child’s injuries. In these cases, each at-fault party can be held responsible for their share of fault. A Fort Worth child injuries lawyer at Stephens Law Firm, PLLC will investigate your child’s accident to determine who is at fault.

Compensation in a Child Injury Claim in Fort Worth

When your child suffers injuries due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness, your child may have the right to compensation through a personal injury claim. The Fort Worth child injury attorney at Stephens Law Firm, PLLC will help you fight for full compensation for your child’s medical expenses and suffering.

Your child may be entitled to many types of damages for:

Medical bills, including current bills for treatment and your child’s anticipated future medical bills. This can include medication, surgery, doctor’s bills, hospitalization, counseling, and more.
Reduced future earning capacity if your child’s injuries will prevent them from working when they are older
Pain and suffering
Mental and emotional distress
Disfigurement

If your child’s case goes to court, they may also be awarded punitive damages. These damages are sometimes awarded to punish someone for causing injuries through gross negligence or malice. They are capped at 2x the amount of economic damages and an equal amount of non-economic damages up to $750,000 or just $200,000.

Damages may also be capped in cases against public or government entities and claims involving medical malpractice. In the case of the latter, non-economic damages are capped at $250,000 or $500,000 depending on on the circumstances.

A child’s damages can be harder to calculate than an adult’s. For example, how will a child’s facial disfigurement from a dog bite affect them in school when they aren’t attending yet? How will your child’s health change as they grow?

Because damages are more complicated when they involve a child’s injuries, and the full extent of your child’s injuries may not yet be apparent, it’s important to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Contact a Fort Worth Child Injury Lawyer

Children who are injured in an accident may be left with serious and life-long injuries that affect them well into adulthood. As a parent, you want nothing more than to take away their pain and help them recover as quickly as possible.

When your child’s injuries have been caused by someone else, holding them financially accountable can’t take away your child’s pain but it can help ensure they get the quality medical care they need.

Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, has helped injured children and their families for more than two decades in seeking full compensation and a sense of justice. Contact Jason Stephens and his compassionate support team today to schedule a free initial consultation and learn more.

Our personal injury law firm in Fort Worth, TX also provides: