Child Traffic Accident Victims

CHILD VICTIMS

At Hotz and Associates we don’t just deal with adults who are injured in car wrecks and auto accidents. Sadly, sometimes children are the ones who are seriously injured in auto accidents. Children are more prone to broken bones, severe head trauma, internal injuries, and burns that may impact them all of their lives. When it is a minor who is hurt in a car wreck, it is vital that the child’s family knows all of their legal rights.
Passenger Rights

Passengers who are hurt in a car wreck may seek financial compensation for any injuries or damages they may have suffered from the other driver’s negligence. This can get tricky when the passenger is a minor and the other driver is a family friend or loved one. The family may have to file a claim on behalf of the minor in these cases. A personal injury claim is usually a civil case filed by the family of the injured minor against the other motorist.

Safe Travel Tips for Children

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) says that car wrecks are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of three and fourteen. They also report that nearly 900000 lives have been saved by safety devices and restraints between the years 1976 and 2009. There are many things that can be done to prevent injuries to children in case of a car wreck:

Babies under a year old must always sit in a rear facing car seat and always in the back. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 should only move to a frontward facing seat when they grow too large for the backwards seat. Kids 4 to 7 should stay in a restraint until they are the weight limit designated by the state (in TN it’s 60 pounds).

NHTSA says that 3 out of 4 parents don’t have their child safety seats installed correctly. In Knox County, the Sheriff’s Department provides free checkpoints on a regular basis to inspect safety seats and to help parents make sure they are installed correctly.

Parents should always stay up to date on the latest child safety restraint recalls to make sure that their equipment is still safe and has not been recalled by the manufacturer.

Protecting Injured Childrens Rights

Even when parents are excellent drivers and take every possible precautions, sometimes another motorist can still cause a collision that causes an injury. When this happens, contact an attorney who knows your rights and will fight for your rights. Hotz and Associates have literally dealt with thousands of these cases and they would be honored to help you as well.