Child accident claims seek compensation for the effects of the personal injury suffered by a child in an accident that was not wholly their fault. The child can claim, through a parent or similar adult, for the effects of the accident today and in the future.

Your child could suffer a broken arm in a fall from the slide in the playground, crush a finger in the gate at school or break ribs in a road traffic accident. If someone owes the child a duty of care and they breach that duty of care, causing an accident, your child could have a child accident claim.

Injuries suffered by a child in an accident, be it at school, in a road traffic accident or playing sport, could be serious and even be life-threatening or life-restricting. A child accident claim for compensation is for the effects on the child’s life today and for the rest of their life.

The Personal Injury Team No Win No Fee solicitor can look at the case and advise you and the child on how to make a child accident compensation claim.

Child Accident Claims

Table of Content

What is a child accident claim?

A child accident claim is when a child, through their parents or guardians, makes a personal injury claim for compensation. The compensation claim is for the effects of the injury today and in their future lives.

A child can be vulnerable, and those caring for them owe them a duty of care. If there is a breach of the duty of care by a teacher, another road user, a property owner, or a school authority causing the child a personal injury, then the child may have a child accident compensation claim.

Types of child accident injuries:

  • A broken wrist in a fall at the playground
  • Cuts and bruises in an accident at school
  • Damage to the eyes in an accident at the nursery
  • Skin damage when scalded by hot water at a café
  • Spinal damage in a road traffic accident
  • Broken leg when knocked off their bike by a car
  • A shoulder injury in a slip on the wet changing room floor
  • Brain damage from a fall off a wall in a public place
  • Quadriplegia due to being hit by a bus at a pedestrian crossing

Child accident statistics tell their own story. Every year in the UK, over 5,000 children are killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents. Over 74,000 children aged 14 or under are admitted to UK hospitals as a result of an accident, with more than 28,00 of these admissions being for children aged less than four. 

Child accidents happen, but when the child’s injury is due to the negligence of others, then your child may have a compensation claim. 

A No Win No personal injury solicitor can look at the case and see if your child has a valid child accident compensation claim.

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Common child accident claims

Common child accident claims range from the child injured in a road traffic accident to the injury in the schoolyard to the accident in the hotel while on holiday. A child accident claim is for the effects on your child’s life today and in their future.

It is very upsetting to see your child suffer due to the negligence of another party. A compensation claim can be for the medical costs, care costs and emotional trauma as a result of a child accident injury.

Common child accident claims can be:

Common child accident claims

Road traffic accident child injury claims

Road traffic accident child injury claims can be for the severe effects an accident on the road can have on a child. The injury can be very traumatic, and the effects of the road traffic accident can be with the child for life.

Types of injuries a child can suffer in a road traffic accident:

  • Crush injuries when travelling as a passenger in a car
  • Broken bones when knocked off their bike
  • Internal organ damage when hit by a bus at the pedestrian crossing

The child can claim compensation through their parents or guardians for the effects of the road traffic accident.

Playground accident child injury claims

Playground accident child injury claims are for the injuries seen when a child suffers an accident in the local playground. 

A playground should be safe, but accidents can happen to children in a poorly maintained playground or one where there is inadequate supervision.

Injuries seen in a playground accident:

  • A child suffers a concussion when the swing breaks
  • A child breaks a leg when the see-saw collapses
  • A child crushes their fingers when the playground gate closes suddenly

You can claim compensation for a playground accident involving a child.

Public place accident child injury claims

A public place accident child injury may be when your child falls over a broken paving stone or slips on a wet floor in the supermarket.

The owner of a public place has a duty of care to people on their property. If a child is injured due to a breach of that duty of care, they could have a public place accident claim.

A public place accident injury could be:

  • Torn knee ligaments after a trip over broken furniture in the shopping centre
  • A shoulder injury from a slip on the wet bathroom floor in the hotel
  • A child falls on an icy pavement, breaking their nose

Your No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can look at the case and see if you have a valid compensation claim.

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School accident child injury claims

School accident injuries are common when the school building is poorly maintained, there are staff shortages, and there is possible overcrowding. A child can easily be injured while at school and the school authority may be responsible for the lack of duty of care.

Types of school accident injuries:

  • A child breaks their leg in a fall down the stairs at school
  • A child suffers deep facial lacerations in a fall on an uneven school playground
  • A child suffers a spinal injury when their chair collapses in the classroom

A child accident claim for compensation can be for the damages your child suffers after a school accident.

Sports accident child injury claims

Sports accidents can quickly happen if the child is not adequately trained or fully supervised or if the sports area is not maintained. 

A child should enjoy playing sport, but the sports club has a duty of care for their wellbeing when on the premises.

A sports accident a child could suffer:

  • A broken ankle due to the poorly maintained pitch
  • A shoulder injury when not supervised in the gym
  • A fractured neck when not fully trained to play rugby

Any sports injury can affect the child’s life, and you may have a child accident injury claim if your child is injured playing sports.

Child accident injuries happen too often, and if your child is injured due to the lack of duty of care by another person, they could have a compensation claim.

Compensation for a child accident injury

Compensation for a child accident injury can range from more than £10,000 to over £100,000, and some children injured in an accident can see compensation amounts in excess of £10 million. 

A child accident injury claim could be for the crush injuries in a road traffic accident or the torn ligaments in a fall at the playground. An injury to a child, like broken fingers caught in the door at school, could put them in line for a compensation claim.

The child accident injury could affect their ability to play sports, play with friends, attend school, and do other childhood activities. The teenage child could become dependent on their parents for care at a time when they should be planning for the future.

When a child cannot study, work or exercise like their peers, they could have a personal injury compensation claim.

A child can claim compensation for the effects of the child accident injury today and in the future through their parents or other trusted adult. The amount awarded depends on the severity of the child accident injury and the impact it has on their life.

Amounts of compensation in a child accident injury claim are:

  • Soft tissue neck injury from £4,350 to £7,890
  • Minor, permanent damage to the eyes from £9,110 to £20,980
  • Severe scarring, from £29,780 to £97,330
  • Hip and or a pelvis injury from £12,590 to £19,200
  • Significant wrist injury with disability and pain from £12,590 to £26,590
  • Knee injury with pain and limited movement from £26,190 to £43,460
  • Disc damage and vertebrae injury with chronic pain from £38,780 to £69,730
  • Back injury with nerve root damage from £74,160 to £88,430
  • Severe brain injury from £282,010 to £403,990
  • Tetraplegia from £324,600 to £403,990

(The figures given here are for General Damages amounts only. You will also receive compensation for any financial losses you suffer due to the personal injury. Figures are taken from Judicial College Guidelines 16th Edition and are accurate as of April 2023.)

Personal injury claim calculator

There is not one fixed amount for a child accident injury claim, and the compensation awarded for the soft tissue injury, cracked ribs, or crushed limbs will be tailored to the circumstances of the claim.  

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can tell you what to expect from their experience in child accident compensation claims.

Our Process

We make the claim process as simple and streamlined as possible, and that’s one of the reasons we’re maintain a 4.9 / 5 ★ rating from our customers!

Enquiry

The first step is to get in touch and tell us what went wrong. It’s free and easy. Call our 24-hour helpline: 0800 027 0370 or request a callback here.

Claim Evaluation

Once you have spoken with our team we’ll let you know how we can help. This will involve a thorough case review and understanding of the incident, financial damages and physical injuries.

Legal Letter

Once we are satisfied we have all the information we require and have a full understanding of your circumstances. We send a letter of claim to the negligent party outlining your claim and compensation requirements.

What are you being compensated for in a child accident claim?

In a child accident claim, just like any personal injury claim, you are being compensated for two types of damages: 

In a child accident injury claim, you claim General Damages for PSLA, the Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity the child experienced directly from the personal injury suffered in the accident that was not their fault.

A child may suffer Pain as a direct result of the crushed fingers, the facial lacerations and the nerve damage sustained in the accident. The injury to their face, fingers, ribs, and other parts of the body can be painful, and you can claim for any medical treatment needed for the child.

The child may experience Suffering while recovering from the road traffic accident injury, the playground injury, and the sports or school injury today and in the years to come. 

The compensation can also be for the Loss of Amenity in daily life, such as difficulty or restriction in walking, sitting, playing sports, and sleeping due to the child accident injury suffered in an accident that was not wholly their fault.

You seek compensation for Special Damages in a child accident injury claim to cover any costs today and future financial losses after injury in the school playground, in a public place or when playing sports.

These could include loss of earnings for parents or guardians caring for the child recovering from an accident, as well as care costs and medical treatment for an injury after the childhood accident and any long-term treatment expenses. 

You can also claim for specialist rehabilitation, aids, adaptations, and any other out-of-pocket expenses you have or will suffer due to the child accident injury.

Compensation is awarded to cover all losses, including income, medical expenses, and long-term care needs arising from a child’s injury while at school, playing sports, playing in the playground or in a road traffic accident.

The compensation claim solicitor will need payslips and all day-to-day receipts, such as accommodation costs, the costs of travel to medical appointments, physical therapy, and all other out-of-pocket expenses incurred after the child accident injury.

A No Win No Fee solicitor handles your child accident claim to get the compensation a child deserves for all the costs and expenses of the injury suffered in an accident that was not wholly their fault.

The amount of compensation awarded for your child accident injury claim is the total of these two types of damages.

Can a child make a personal injury compensation claim?

Yes, a child can make a personal injury compensation claim, but they make the claim through what is known as a ‘litigation friend.’ In legal terms, a litigation friend is a trusted individual who can make the claim and be responsible for managing the child’s affairs.

A litigation friend is usually:

  • A parent of the child
  • A close relative such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle
  • A legally appointed guardian of the child
  • A social worker or similarly trusted adult

The litigation friend can represent the child in all dealings with the solicitor and any claims that may have to go to court.

The personal injury claim for a child can be made at any time from the date of injury until the injured child turns 18 years of age. In all personal injury compensation claims, it is advisable to make the claim as soon as possible after the accident. Making a case as quickly as possible means the injuries can be assessed while fresh, and evidence can be gathered in good time.

When the child turns 18, they have three years until they turn 21 to make the personal injury compensation claim.

An adult can only make a personal injury claim for an accident as a child beyond their 21st birthday if they have a ‘Date of Knowledge’ exception. The date of knowledge, in legal terms, is when the adult becomes aware that they are suffering the effects of an injury that may have happened years previously. 

If a child has a mental disability and is ‘without capacity’, there are not any time limits to when they can make a personal injury compensation claim.

Can a child make a personal injury compensation claim

Can I claim an interim compensation payment for my child accident injury?

Yes, a child, through a parent or other litigation friend, can claim an interim payment on the child accident compensation award.

A child may have exceptional medical costs as a result of their child accident injury. The parents can claim the interim payment to cover any specialist treatment or adaptations needed to the home or the family car.

You will want the best for your child and will not want to see them suffering unnecessarily due to the effects of an injury in an accident that was not their fault.

Your No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can handle your interim payment case when making the claim for child accident compensation.

Do children have to go to court for a personal injury compensation claim?

Children are very unlikely to have to go to court to make a claim for compensation for a personal injury.

With the guidance of our solicitors, the claim process usually goes smoothly, and the vast majority of claims will be settled long before court proceedings are needed.   

Our personal injury compensation claim team will fight the case for the child. Even if court proceedings must be issued because, for example, the defendant unreasonably denies liability, the case is still unlikely to have to end up at a trial.

Very few compensation claims require court proceedings, and even fewer, less than 1%, will end up at trial. 

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can handle the child accident injury compensation claim from start to finish.

Find out how much you can claim today for a child accident injury

Use our online assessment tool today to determine how much you can claim for a child accident injury. 

The facial scarring, eye injuries, the crushed limbs and soft tissue injuries from a child accident injury may be with your child for life, and they may be able to claim compensation for the damages involved.

The Personal Injury Team FREE online assessment tool will put you in direct touch with one of our team, who will give you a full rundown of what can happen with your child accident injury claim.

Compensation amounts for a child accident injury vary, and expert advice from one of our team members can help you with an idea of compensation for the claim. 

Only by contacting one of our team will you get a child accident injury claim up and running today.

Contact your Personal Injury Team today for immediate and expert child accident injury advice tailored to you.

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