How are child injury cases different than cases involving adults?

Yes.  Cases involving children have to be handled differently for several reasons.  First, injury claims in Florida cannot be brought directly by children.  An adult – usually, but not always, a parent – must bring the claim on behalf of the child.  That adult will be responsible for making many of the decisions regarding the handling of the case, and will be called upon to sign any documents necessary to prosecute the claim or bring it to a close.

Most of the money generated by a claim for a child will not be immediately available to the child or the parents.  Usually, only money for out-of-pocket medical expenses, or on-going necessary medical expenses will be immediately available.  All remaining funds will generally either placed in a court-ordered and controlled guardianship account, or will be utilized to purchase an annuity that will payout to the child after the child reaches adulthood.

Finally, as parents ourselves, we realize that children suffer trauma in a different way that adults do.  Many children are psychologically damaged in accidents where adults might not be.  Children have special developmental and emotional needs that adults do not have, that need to be addressed in their medical treatment.  We fully realize that children are not just “tiny adults”, and therefore we analyze and address child injury cases differently.

If you have any questions please call us at 407-565-7386 or text us at 407-644-4444. We are always happy to offer a no-obligation, free consultation to discuss your case with you.