Sending your child off to begin their first day of school can be a challenging thing to see. However, we all put our trust in the fact that the staff at the school will take good care of our children. On the whole, this trust is well-founded; however, there are a small minority of people out there for whom this is not the case.
We hear from many distressed parents whose children have suffered an accident whilst at school which was through no fault of their own, and we are able to give free legal advice in order to assess whether they have a valid claim.
Litigation friend
In the event we do assess your claim and feel it is something we can proceed with, we would normally advise you of the process of becoming a Litigation Friend. Victims under the age of 18 are not allowed to act on their own behalf in the running of their claim; therefore it is necessary for them to have a ‘Litigation Friend’ to conduct matters on their behalf. It is usually a parent or guardian that takes on this role. There are a few differences in how this type of claim proceeds – one main difference is with any settlement that is received. Firstly, once an offer is received it must go through court to ensure it is a fair value. Secondly, any settlement received for a child under the age of 18 is placed in a trust for that child and is, released to them upon reaching 18 years of age.
What to do next?
If your child has suffered an accident whilst at school it is important to report the matter to a member of staff if they are not already aware of it. It is also important to seek medical assistance for your child’s injuries as this not only allows for the injuries to be assisted with, but also for the medic to place a note in their medical records. It is also advisable to seek the advice of a specialist personal injury lawyer who, if they are anything like The Injury Lawyers, will be able to give you free legal advice and tell you there and then if you have a claim. So there seems to be nothing to lose by trying and any compensation received will undoubtedly be received gratefully from your child upon reaching 18.
