Protect Your Child from an Injury This Summer

Summer vacation is a time for out-of-the-classroom learning and making lifetime memories. It is also a time where children are especially vulnerable to accidents and injuries.

If your child is injured in an accident, seek medical attention for him or her right away. As with adult injury victims, it is critical that child victims receive medical care not only for its benefit to their health, but to support a possible personal injury claim. Your child cannot file his or her own personal injury claim. You must do this for him or her. In Florida, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is four years from the date of the accident, regardless of the victim’s age. As the parent, it is your responsibility to seek the proper legal counsel for your child’s claim and to make sure that all necessary deadlines are met to ensure that your child’s claim for monetary compensation remains valid.

There are many ways to protect your child from suffering from an injury during his or her summer vacation. Implement the following rules to decrease your child’s chance of becoming a victim.

Always Wear a Helmet when Riding a Bike, Skateboard, or other Wheeled Object

A helmet can prevent traumatic brain injuries if your child falls from him or her bicycle, skateboard, roller blades, or other recreational object. In Florida, all bicycle riders age sixteen and under are required to wear helmets.

No Unsupervised Swimming

Pools, ponds, and other bodies of water can be enticing on a hot summer day. To prevent drowning and other water-related injuries, such as head and neck injuries caused by shallow dives, always be present or make sure another responsible adult is present when your child goes swimming. If your child is not yet a competent swimmer, he or she should always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while near open water.

Practice Firework Safety

Fireworks, although a fun way to celebrate Independence Day and a key part of other summer celebrations, can be dangerous and even fatal. Never allow children or adolescents to use fireworks without adult supervision. Small, non-exploding fireworks like sparklers can be a great way to spend a family evening, but leave the large-scale displays to the professionals.

Personal Injury Attorneys in Winter Park

Despite taking all precautions to prevent an injury, accidents do happen. If your child is injured in an accident, contact Hornsby Law Group in Winter Park at 407-599-8300 or on the web to schedule your free legal consultation with our firm after he or she has received adequate medical attention for the injury. We can help you determine the best way to proceed with a personal injury claim on his or her behalf and guide you through the steps of seeking monetary compensation for your child’s needs.