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Children are social creatures. They love to get together with their friends to play or hang out – it’s just the nature of kids! And while, as a parent, you may do your best to ensure your child is safe no matter where they go, accidents do happen. This leads to an interesting and perplexing question: what can you do if your child is injured at a friend’s house?
There are so many ways that a child can be hurt at someone else’s house, but can you sue because of it? If your child sustains an injury, there are things you can do to get compensation for expenses such as medical care. Here’s what you need to know.
No matter how serious you believe your child’s injury to be, the most important thing to do in the aftermath of an injury is to get medical treatment. Go to the hospital or your doctor and explain what occurred, then get their injuries checked out.
A physician can establish the scope of the injuries to your child and determine what the best path of treatment is for them. Also, if you decide to file a personal injury claim down the line, it can be very helpful for the case to have medical records that detail the injury and its aftermath. You have to be able to show that your child was injured, and any testimony or documentation can help to support your claim.
The next thing you need to do is determine who is at fault for the accident. Discuss what happened with your child and the family of the friend.
It’s possible that the fault could lie with your child, or it is possible that the other family was negligent, which led to the injuries. Try to get a feel for the situation so that you can understand if you need to seek out the help of an experienced attorney.
If you determine that child was injured at the fault of the other party, then discuss the injuries your child sustained with them. Talk about what happened and what needs to be done about it.
Chances are, they may offer to help pay for some expenses caused by the injury – especially if they recognize that the accident was due to their negligence. If they do not recognize their fault and don’t want to help, then there are other options you can pursue.
Filing a personal injury claim to kick off a premises liability case may be your only option. In this action, the at-fault party’s homeowner’s insurance policy will likely be the target of the lawsuit.
This insurance might be able to help you pay for the medical treatment your child required – or may still require. You do not personally sue your child’s friend in these cases, but instead their insurance. Their payments may rise a little as a result.
It can be quite awkward to pursue damages for injuries your child sustains at a friend’s house. However, if it was due to their negligence, then there’s no reason to abstain from going after their homeowner’s policy to cover your expenses. The important thing is to understand what really happened and how you can be compensated for it.
