
Our Atlanta child fall injury lawyer knows that parents often fear their child will be seriously injured from a fall. Sometimes, those falls happen due to the negligence of others. Our attorneys are here to help you if your child’s fall injury was caused by someone else.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that falls are the leading cause of injuries to children aged 0 to 19 years of age.
Each day, approximately 8,000 children are treated for fall injuries in emergency rooms across the nation, with a total of almost 2.8 million emergency room visits for fall injuries each year, according to the CDC. Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children.
Falls can lead to very serious injuries, including:
- Concussion
- Traumatic brain injury
- Fractures
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Child Fall Accidents in Atlanta
The CDC also reports that children aged 0–4 years and teenagers aged 15-19 are most likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury, and that falls are the leading cause of these injuries, at 35.2 percent. A traumatic brain injury can have long-term implications for the child, leading to physical and/or mental impairments, some of which cannot be fully resolved.
Where do children suffer injuries from falls?
Falls can occur in a variety of locations, including at home, a friend’s home, school, in local parks, at playgrounds, during sports, outside in the neighborhood while playing, hiking, at stores, or in restaurants.
The top three types of head trauma for children under 2 are falls from elevations (54 percent), falls down stairs (nine percent), and falls to the ground while standing, walking or running (nine percent). For children aged 2-12, the top two types of head trauma involve falls from elevations (24 percent), and falls to the ground while standing, walking or running (14 percent).
Impact of the Location of a Child’s Fall on a Lawsuit
The location of the fall and how it occurred is a critical point in whether a personal injury lawsuit can be filed to recover damages – the monetary compensation paid to a victim who fell due to some form of negligence. Property owners have an obligation to keep their premises reasonably safe and warn of known dangerous conditions.
It is important that you connect with a skilled Atlanta child injury lawyer at The Poe Law Firm if your child suffered a serious injury due to a fall. We can evaluate the situation and advise you of your legal right to file a claim, and how to proceed. Our goal is to help parents to take the right legal action for children who have suffered a severe injury in a fall accident. We have over 50 years of experience in personal injury law, and we are trial lawyers with extensive experience in court, should your require litigation.
Our Atlanta Child Fall Injury Lawyers See Injuries from Sports
Head contact in sports has come under scrutiny, due to the many pro football players that are living with the consequences of this heavy contact sport. Children who play sports can be at risk of serious injuries when playing sports, even when wearing the correct equipment.
Safe Kids Worldwide reports that parents rely on sports coaches to keep their children safe, but that they are unaware of the level of training any coach may have. The organization also points out that coaches themselves want more training, with 76 percent wanting more training on concussion prevention. Unfortunately the ability to pursue coaches for such injuries is very limited because of issues of immunity related to school sports or because of the waivers and permission slips which normally are found in almost every program of organized team sport.
What to Do If Your Child Is Injured in a Fall
If your child has been seriously injured in a fall, there may be a viable claim if there is a defect in the facility where the design of the facility contributed to the injury. Private facilities which charge for access and use may have liability under some theories although contractual waiver clauses often are used to prevent any claim from being raised. Under some limited circumstances there may be a theory of recovery even for injuries occurring on public property. The only way to assess such situations is to gather the pertinent facts and get legal representation immediately.
Some of the most common areas in which these dangerous falls occur include:
- School
- Playgrounds
- Sports fields or gyms
- Church
- Outside (roadways, sidewalks, etc.)
- At residences
- Stores
- Restaurants
- Malls
- At home
Talk to an Atlanta Child Fall Injury Attorney Today
No matter where your child was injured, it is important that you contact our Atlanta child injury lawyer at The Poe Law Firm. Our firm is highly professional, and has over 50 years of experience in personal injury law. Founder Jim Poe is listed in Super Lawyers, and has a reputation as a fierce litigator and for being persuasive and compelling at trial.