Cleveland Child Injury Lawyer

When you send your child to a trusted school or daycare, you shouldn’t have to worry that something might harm them while you’re not there. If you find out they were hurt at school or at daycare, you may be unsure where to turn for help. Thankfully, an experienced Cleveland child injury lawyer can provide reliable legal assistance.

The team at Rumizen Weisman Attorneys has extensive experience helping clients through cases involving children’s injuries. Our firm can help you seek justice and help your child get the care they need to recover. In addition to local schools at Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), there are many childcare options in the city, such as KinderCare, Creative Playrooms Montessori, and BrightPath, and parents put trust in these facilities to keep their kids safe.

If your child was hurt at a school, a daycare center, or somewhere else in Cleveland, Rumizen Weisman Attorneys is ready to help. Our child injury lawyers are top-notch. Whether your child was hurt on a playground or at a daycare in Lakewood, our daycare negligence attorneys can help parents after a preventable accident. Contact us to set up a consultation.

Cleveland Child Injury Incidents

Incidents involving children happen wherever children are present. Most often, incidents happen because of a failure to supervise the children properly, poorly trained teachers, staff, and daycare supervisors, and dangerous conditions at the facility or school.

Regardless of the reason, avoidable accidents involving children occur. After such an accident, you may wonder whether you have a valid claim against the school or daycare facility.

Claims Against Schools and Daycare Centers

Preventable accidents are a major safety issue in our country and across Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health reported that over 10 million American children are hurt each year and require emergency department treatment. More than 17,000 children aged 19 and younger die each year due to injuries, which is a rate of 22.5 children per 100,000.

In Ohio, avoidable accidents are the leading cause of child fatalities, and falls are the most frequent cause of these fatalities. Across the Buckeye State, approximately 630 children die annually due to preventable injuries, which is a rate of 20 fatalities per 100,000 children.

Every case is unique, and whether you have a valid liability claim usually depends on case-specific information. Typically, if your child sustained physical harm and required treatment, you may be entitled to compensation. If your child requires long-term care as a result of the incident, you may have a valid damages claim.

Duty of Cleveland Schools and Daycare Facilities

Schools throughout CMSD and local daycare facilities have a duty to keep the children in their care safe. If a child is hurt due to insufficient supervision, poorly trained staff, or hazards that exist on the property, the school or daycare center is likely responsible. There can be other contributing factors to a child-related injury, and there can be other responsible parties.

Speak with an attorney to further discuss legal responsibility. Once they understand the specifics of your incident, they can provide recommendations and options tailored to your situation.

Accident Liability Waivers

Many schools and daycare facilities require parents to sign liability waivers, saying they are not responsible if your child is hurt while under their care. Whether a waiver is enforceable depends on the specific language of the waiver you may have signed and the specific injury your child sustained. Contact an experienced attorney to discuss your child’s injuries and how we can help address a waiver issue.

Proving Negligence in Cleveland

When you hire a child injury lawyer in Cleveland, part of their role in your claim is to prove negligence. In Ohio, negligence means the failure to use reasonable care, which results in damage or injury to someone else. A school or daycare negligence attorney can gather evidence to build a compelling child injury claim on your behalf. You may want to gather the following before your first meeting with your attorney to help with your own case:

• Documents to prove your child is enrolled in the school or daycare center where the incident occurred, such as their school transcript or a signed contract
• Proof your child was at school or in daycare on the day of the incident
• An accident report or incident report
• Names of the employees who were involved in the incident
• Photos or videos of your child’s sustained injuries
• Documentation from your doctor that’s related to the incident, like medical records, bills, prescriptions, etc.
• Contact information for any eyewitnesses
• Information about any other incidents at the school or daycare you may be aware of
• Any other proof you believe is related to the incident and can help support your claim

Once you’ve gathered this information, it can help your attorney. Also, your attorney can help gather other compelling evidence to support your negligence argument.

To have a winning claim, you must show that:

• The school or daycare center owed your child a duty to keep them safe while under their care.
• The irresponsible actions or negligence of a school or daycare center caused your child harm.
• You have damages or expenses for which you can be compensated.

It can be difficult to handle a legal claim in Cleveland alone. Thankfully, an attorney with experience handling child injury claims can provide invaluable assistance with your case. Also, they can ensure you file your claim before you miss the deadline.

Cleveland Child Injury Claim Deadlines

Many people are surprised to learn there are deadlines to file claims. In Ohio, the deadline to file a claim is called the statute of limitations. For civil child negligence cases, including personal injury and wrongful death, the statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of the injury. However, there are some nuances and exceptions, such as a longer statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.

It’s worth speaking with an attorney who can help discuss when you should file your claim. An attorney can help you avoid the headache of trying to figure out your applicable claim deadline and ensure you file on time. Plus, the longer you decide to wait, the more likely you may have to deal with evidence that’s disappeared or a daycare owner who is no longer willing to cooperate.

While you can try to handle your claim yourself, it’s recommended that you consult an attorney about your claim and, ideally, contact them immediately after the incident. An attorney can help build a solid recovery case and take important steps to preserve relevant evidence.

Claiming Damages After a Cleveland Child Injury Incident

If someone else’s negligence harmed your child, you may be entitled to financial recovery. Compensation for injuries can include:

• Measurable financial losses like medical expenses, lost income to care for your child, rehabilitation costs, ambulance costs, and future medical care expenses
• Emotional and psychological injury losses, like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment in activities
• Punitive damages, which are designed to punish someone whose behavior was particularly deplorable and neglectful

An attorney with experience fighting for child injury victims can help you recover your damages. They can use their experience helping other clients in order to ensure you get the full and fair compensation your family deserves. While some cases are resolved via settlement negotiations, an attorney can help explore your recovery options through the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, if necessary. Contact an attorney for help estimating your claim recovery.

Reasons to Contact a Cleveland Child Injury and Daycare Negligence Attorney

Although an attorney can’t reverse what happened to your child, they can help you pursue damages to provide financial support after an injury. It can be emotionally draining to pursue these claims, and they can quickly become complicated. An attorney can help make sure you have the compassionate support and legal help necessary to get justice on behalf of your child.

If your child was hurt at school or in a daycare center, an attorney can:

• Investigate what happened, gather evidence, and build a solid damages case
• Identify all responsible parties, including a school, daycare, or a party responsible for an extracurricular activity
• Negotiate with involved parties and their insurance companies to maximize your overall payout
• Consider all potential avenues for recovery
• Manage your legal claim, ensure paperwork is accurate, and file documents on time

When you hire an experienced Cleveland attorney, you can have the necessary peace of mind that your claim for your child’s injury is with a competent lawyer.

Contact Rumizen Weisman Attorneys

Right after an incident, get your child medical care immediately. Then, please contact our office to discuss your family’s legal rights and the process of filing a legal claim, if appropriate. You don’t have to fight for compensation alone.

At Rumizen Weisman Attorneys, we have a deep understanding of the stress and heart-wrenching pain that can accompany your child’s injury. We can help you navigate your claim and provide compassionate, trusted support.

We are ready to fight for the compensation your child deserves. With offices in Beachwood and Cleveland, we can help right away after a child injury incident. Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation.