Child Injury Attorney

Our Child Injury Lawyer Helps Win Compensation

Harm that befalls an innocent child is unfair and inexcusable. Children who experience significant injury will often carry psychological scars resulting from the trauma. An injured child in the family can make everyone hurt.

While some injuries are not always preventable, other injuries can arise from the negligent or reckless actions of people or businesses. When this is the case, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit to receive compensation that can help you provide the best future for your child. However, Indiana personal injury laws are complicated, making mistakes can be costly, and insurance companies will attempt to deny your claim or get you to accept the lowest amount possible.

Fortunately, there is help available from the Indianapolis child injury lawyers at Stephenson Rife. We know the courts, the system, and the tactics insurance companies use and are fully prepared to go up against them. We understand how devasting it is to see your child suffer and can take the burden off you by handling all legal hurdles and negotiations to fight for the optimum compensation your child deserves.

At Stephenson Rife, we are ready to assist you. Call our child injury lawyers in Indianapolis today at (317) 680-2501 We offer a free consultation to discuss the circumstances of your case and determine the best way to help.

How Our Child Injury Lawyers Work for You

Why Choose Stephenson Rife?

There are many attorneys out there, and it’s important for you to find one you have confidence in, feel comfortable with, and who has the qualifications to get the results you need. Here are some reasons why we think Stephenson Rife is your best choice:

• We are experienced. We have been meeting the needs of people throughout Indiana since 1976. Mike Stephenson has 40 years of experience handling injuries, and is a trusted advisor to many individuals and companies.
• We get results and win large settlements, such as the $48.5 million we won in a truck accident case. We have a strong record of success for a wide range of personal injury cases. You can read their testimonials and about the cases.
• We handle all legal paperwork and court appearances required by Indiana law.
• We deal and negotiate with insurance companies, so you won’t have to.
• We are recognized for our expertise and are the law firm that other law firms consult.
• We offer free initial consultations to get you started.
• We are able to provide cost-effective legal services to keep fees low, and you pay us nothing unless we win and you get your money.

When you have our child injury attorneys on your side, you no longer have to file forms, deal with insurance companies, or worry about whether you have the best settlement offer. We will get to work to analyze and build your case immediately. We will:

• Meet with you to discuss how the injury happened and who the at-fault parties may be, then determine whether you have a valid lawsuit and what a fair settlement would be.
• Conduct investigations to gather evidence to prove how the injury occurred, such as by interviewing witnesses and examining photographs and videos, and police, ambulance, and medical records and reports.
• Get expert opinions from medical professionals, therapists, and life-care specialists as to how the injuries will affect the child now and into the future and the care which will be necessary.
• Negotiate with insurance companies and their lawyers for a fair settlement.
• Build your case and bring it to court and present it in front of a judge and jury if necessary.

We will be there for you at every stage of the legal process, from filing pretrial motions, to discovery, to presenting evidence and making closing arguments, to filing an appeal. Call us today for a free consultation at (317) 680-2501.

What Are My Rights When My Child is Harmed?

Under Indiana law, you have the right to seek compensation for certain damages if your child suffers serious injury due to another party’s recklessness or negligence. In order to be eligible for such compensation, it must be established that the other party did not exercise reasonable care, and that the lack of reasonable care led directly to your child’s injury or wrongful death.

You must also bring your case within the time limits specified by Indiana’s statute of limitations. According to Indiana Code (IC) 34-11-2-4(3), you generally must file a claim within two years from the date of the accident or the courts will not hear your case. Sometimes exceptions apply, such as with car accidents that occurred when the child was under 18 at the time of the injury. In that case, the statute of limitations does not begin until the child turns 18. For medical malpractice claims in Indiana, the two-year statute of limitations begins to run when the child turns 8. In a product liability case, the statute of limitations is two years regardless of age.

It’s important to contact our child injury lawyers as soon as possible, so we have time to file everything within the time limitations as well as to investigate your case while evidence is fresh and witnesses can be found.

Damages Our Children’s Injury Lawyer May Recover

If you suffered personal injury due to another party’s fault or negligence, our attorneys may recover a compensation award, called damages. In Indiana, you can seek both economic damages for your monetary costs and losses, and non-economic damages, which are compensation for non-monetary damages that negatively impact your life, such as pain and suffering.

Compensatory damages are to cover losses and costs such as:

• Medical and rehabilitative bills and equipment
• Costs of continuing care
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Permanent disability.

Punitive damages may also be awarded in certain circumstances to punish negligent parties for willful negligence, malice, fraud, or especially egregious behavior, and to act as a deterrent for similar misconduct in the future.

To win your case, our attorneys would have to prove negligence by showing that . . .

• The defendant had a duty of care not to injure your child
• They breached or failed in that duty by acting negligently
• This failure of duty caused your child’s injuries
• Your child suffered damages as a result.

To prove negligence, our legal team would produce evidence from our investigations. If necessary, we would hire experts to reconstruct the accident and testify as to how it happened and experts to testify as to how the injuries negatively impact your child’s life now and are likely to affect it in the future.

Amounts of Damage Awards

There is a wide range of damage amounts that may be awarded in a personal injury case, from the tens of thousands to millions of dollars. Amounts vary depending on the circumstances of the accident and factors such as the extent and permanence of the injuries and whether the child will need continuing care. Juries tend to be sympathetic to the plight of a child, but each case is unique. While we cannot give you an exact figure, our attorneys know from experience what your case should be worth and will fight for the maximum amount possible.

Common Childhood Injury Situations

Any number of circumstances can result in the injury of a vulnerable child. Here are some of the most common injuries with which we help our clients:

• Traffic accidents of all types. Generally this means motor vehicle accidents; however, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and school bus accidents all cause injuries and deaths. Children’s bodies are not mature enough to absorb hard impacts without serious or fatal injury.
• Accidental drownings. Drownings are a leading cause of death for children aged 1 through 4. Drownings are not limited to swimming pool and boating accidents—little children can drown in a very small amount of water, such as in bathtubs and toilets. Non-fatal drowning accidents can lead to permanent brain injury.
• Accidental poisonings. Children are curious, so they taste the things they find. Some common items that can poison children and lead to significant and permanent injuries are: lead (in toys and house paint), prescription medications, common cleaning products, e-cigarettes, alcohol, and mercury.
• Animal bites. Animals do not always understand our actions. Additionally, some persons intentionally keep vicious animals. In Indiana, dog owners are liable for unprovoked attacks.
• Away-from-home situations, such as injuries at day care centers, camps, and other locations. When a child is out of our sight, negligent care and outright abusive treatment can occur. Sexual abuse and molestation can also take place in these situations, as can accidental poisonings and drownings.
• Birth injuries. Children are vulnerable from the first instant of life, and they can suffer permanent injuries in the very act of being born.
• Child product and toy injuries. A number of products, including toys, cribs, walkers, and other items meant to be used by children are not safe because they are defective in some way. There are instances of child furniture tipping over and causing severe injury.
• Prescription drug error injuries and other medical malpractice situations. The most likely place for prescription drug errors to occur is in the emergency room. Medical malpractice can cause a wide range of childhood injuries.

Regardless of the type of injury, if the cause was another party’s negligence, our Stephenson Rife child injury attorneys will hold the at-fault party accountable through a lawsuit.

Types of Childhood Injuries

Children can suffer from a variety of serious injuries. Some of the most damaging ones are:

• Brain injury (TBI) and spinal damage, including those injuries that lead to seizures and paralysis. Brain injuries are among the most catastrophic types of harm that can happen to your child.
• Broken bones, causing much pain and sometimes disability, depending on the severity.
• Burns, including electrocutions and scalds. Premises liability, meaning that a landlord or other property owner might be considered negligent, can be a factor in burns.
• Internal injuries from being struck by an object, whether in a motor vehicle accident, by another person, or in another situation.
• Open wound trauma (cuts, bites, and so forth).
• Soft tissue damage, such as severe contusions, pulled ligaments, and other injuries not immediately visible.
• After an insect sting, anaphylactic shock and the risk of suffocation can occur.

Emotional distress — whether from abuse, cyberbullying, or other causes — can be no less damaging than physical injury and often accompanies traumatic experiences such as severe injuries or abuse.

Call Our Child Injury Attorney For Help

At Stephenson Rife, our children’s injury lawyer has the experience necessary to pursue positive results, no matter what legal challenges are involved. We know how devastating it is to have an injured child and will do everything possible to get you the compensation that will relieve you of your financial burdens. We provide caring, confident and cost-effective service you can count on, which is why we are the law firm that other law firms consult.

Find out what we can do for you by calling us today at (317) 680-2501 for your free consultation. You have nothing to lose, as there are no fees to you unless and until we win your case.