We, The Injury Lawyers, deal only with claims for personal injury. We do not deal with any other types of law – so day in day out, our hard working teams are fighting for the maximum compensation for accident victims across the country. So we can easily say, with confidence, that we are the specialist in our field.
As such, we deal with many injury claims for children. Naturally there is a need for more care to be taken when it comes to our little ones being injured, especially as they can be more vulnerable to serious injury.
It’s sad to hear when a child has been injured, but where it is not their fault, we will step in and make sure your child is compensated for the maximum amount they are entitled to recover, and we’ll make sure that the whole process is as easy as possible.
What’s the Difference between an Adult Claim and a Child Claim?
For the majority of the claim, there isn’t any real difference. The things you do need to know is that a Litigation Friend will probably need appointing for the case. This is a person over the age of 18 who is able to act as the person responsible for the child and the claim. Naturally a child cannot really bring a claim themselves – for obvious reasons.
Normally a Litigation Friend is a parent or suitable guardian. So if you’re looking to make a claim for your child, you’re probably going to be the Litigation Friend! You will be the main point of call for the case with your lawyers, and all you need to do is answer the questions needed and look after the case with the solicitor. You will sign a Suitability of Litigation Friend form to make sure you are suitable, and that’s about it.
The other major point is that the claim will likely go to court, and you will likely need to attend. It’s commonly called an Infant Approval Hearing, which is a simple court hearing where a presiding Judge will review the medical evidence and particulars of the claim and confirm that they are happy with any compensation amount that has been agreed by both parties (i.e. the injury lawyers and the Defendants). This is to ensure that the best interests of the child are looked after by allowing an independent and responsible party to agree that any amount accepted for and on behalf of the child is a reasonable amount.
Finally, the other major difference is that the payout is normally held in a Court held trust fund which is then accessible to the child when they reach the age of 18. The trust fund has a healthy interest rate, and the point is that the child can then spend the money on whatever they wish once they reach the age of legal responsibility. This way, their money remains theirs; it’s protected and it will also gain a fair amount of value from the interest rates as well!
For more information making a claim for an injured child, or to get the process started today, give us a call on our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 today.
