Child Injury Claims

Serious injury to a child is one of the hardest events that any parent or carer has to deal with. In the immediate aftermath, compensation may not be top of your priorities but, depending on the cause, you may be able to claim a sum and this may help you get your family back on track.

Our team of specialist personal injury solicitors have been winning child injury claims and supporting clients across the South West for more than 40 years. We can help you secure the justice and the compensation you deserve, providing expert, jargon-free legal advice that will help you achieve the best possible outcome.

Child injury claims

Our experienced personal injury solicitors are APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) accredited specialists and the team is ranked highly in the Legal 500 directory. We also have strong relationships with leading medical professionals and experts, enabling us to give you the very best advice, delivered with sensitivity by specialist personal injury lawyers. We can help you with any kind of child injury claim.

We understand that starting a legal claim for an injury to your child – or yourself if you were under the age of 18 at the time of the incident – can be confusing and unsettling. We’re here to explain your rights and options and to handle every aspect of the claim process so that you can focus on helping your child recover. We will help you secure the resources you need, whether that means medical treatment, financial compensation, or both.

We provide a comprehensive child injury claims service, including operating on a no win–no fee basis.

Child injury claims can be based on a variety of incidents including:

• Road traffic accidents
• Slip, trip or fall accidents
• Falls from height
• Accidents at school
• Accidents in public places such as playgrounds, shopping centres
• Sports accidents
• Fatal accidents

Our expert lawyers have acted for many child injury claims. They know that some injuries can have long lasting complications that could affect the child later in life. We will ensure that your child’s injury is fully investigated, if necessary postponing the claim process until the extent of the injuries has been fully established.

In cases where child personal injury claims have to be delayed, our dedicated lawyers will support you to make sure you understand the process, keeping you up to date with any information. Your assigned child injury lawyer will also work to secure you an early interim compensation payout to help with any immediate costs.

As well as providing sensitive advice and support, our child injury experts can put you in touch with a number of organisations that can help you with everything from rehabilitation and mobility assistance and home modification to counselling and support for your family.

No win, no fee

Most of the head injury claims we support are handled on a no win no fee basis, which means:

• If you win your case your opponent will pay the majority of your legal costs. Any legal costs not paid by your opponent and the lawyer’s success fee will be deducted from the compensation that you receive.
• If you lose your case, you will not have to pay any legal costs unless we advise you otherwise.

Find out more about our no win no fee funding and other ways of funding your potential claim.

How long do I have to make a child injury claim?

As the parent or guardian of an injured child, you can make a personal injury claim on their behalf as their Litigation Friend. Alternatively, you can wait until they reach the age of 18 and they can then pursue the claim themselves. When a child turns 18, they have three years to pursue a personal injury claim for compensation.

Speak to us as soon as you can, so our personal injury lawyers can start helping you through the process of claiming compensation and getting any other support you need.

How much compensation could my child receive?

Every child injury is different and so is its impact on you or your loved one. That’s why it is important to get expert advice from qualified specialist lawyers who are experienced in working with medical professionals to truly understand the impact of your child’s injuries and how these may affect them in the long term.

The amount you can claim will depend on a number of factors, including the severity of your child’s injury, any financial losses you have suffered and/or you or they will suffer in the future, and any changes to your lifestyle that you have to make as a result of their injuries. Whatever the injury, our specialist personal injury lawyers will ensure that you and your child get the compensation and support you are entitled to.

There may also be an impact on the child’s schooling and career prospects depending on what age the injury occurs and the severity of it. We will of course discuss this with you further.

Infant Approval Hearing

All successful child injury claims need to be approved by the Court at an Infant Approval Hearing and once approved, the compensation is paid into the Court Funds Office until the child reaches the age of 18.