When Your Child Gets Hurt at a Friend’s House
Posted December 3rd, 2018 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Premises Liability.
Your child is now old enough that you trust him or her to be at a friend’s house without you looking over their shoulder. You are excited for them, but you are even more excited to spend a few hours to yourself. But still, entrusting your child’s care with someone else can be nerve-wracking. As much as you like the person watching over your child and think they will do a good job, kids will be kids. That means they are bound to end up doing something they aren’t supposed to; many times, getting hurt.
If your child gets hurt on someone else’s watch, the injuries can range from minor bumps and bruises to more severe injuries like broken bones or a concussion. Not only do you have to worry about the possibility of varying injuries, but you are also confused about what you should do especially if the cause of the injury could have been prevented.
When your child gets hurt at a friend’s house, an awkward situation might arise. How am I supposed to handle the situation? Do I sue them? Do I forbid my child from going to this house again? If this has happened to you, don’t worry.
What Should You Do?
If your child sustains an injury at a friend’s house, the first thing you should do is seek immediate medical attention. Go to a hospital or a doctor’s office to have your child’s injuries examined. Only a medical professional can correctly diagnose what happened to your child. Also, having the opinion of a doctor is an important part of a personal injury claim if that’s the direction you decide to go in.
After taking your child to get examined for his or her injuries, the next step should be determining who is at fault for the injury. Before talking to the parents of your child’s friend, you should make sure that negligence caused the injury and not the actions of your child. The best way to do this is to have a conversation with your child and then with the friend’s family so you can get to the bottom of it.
If you end up determining that the parents’ negligence is the cause of the injury, you need to discuss the injury with everyone involved. By discussing it with everyone, you will most likely get a solution faster. The parents may be willing to pay for your child’s medical expenses out-of-pocket, especially if they knew the injury was their fault.
Filing a Claim
If the parents are not willing to help in any way, then you are most likely looking at filing a personal injury claim against them. When someone gets injured on another person’s property, that is considered premises liability. When you choose to go this route, you aren’t necessarily suing the friend’s parents but rather their homeowner’s insurance policy. While this still might create an awkward situation, it could be much worse.
Contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone
If you are a parent and your child was injured at a friend’s house, there is a law firm on your side that can help you. At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we’ve been helping victims of premises liability cases in New Jersey for thirty years. If you believe your child’s injuries are the result of someone else’s negligence, contact us today.
CALL NOW: 201-829-3805
