When a child is injured, “damages” is the legal term for the compensation they can receive. This money is to cover all their losses and suffering. For a child, these “damages” can be very, very large. Why? Because their injury may impact their entire life. Not just today but for many, many years to come.
Here’s what that money covers:
- Past and Future Medical Expenses: This covers all the medical care your child has received to date. Think hospital bills, doctor visits, surgeries, and medicines from the day of the injury until now. But even more important, it covers all the medical care your child will need for the rest of their life. For children with severe injuries, like a serious brain injury or paralysis, these future costs can be millions of dollars. One study noted that average medical costs for a child with a severe injury can far exceed initial expenses, often requiring lifelong care.
- Pain & Suffering: This money is for your child’s physical pain. It’s for their emotional distress, their fear, and their anxiety as well as sadness. It’s for the overall psychological impact of the injury. It’s for the difficulty they face every single day because of what happened. This is a very real type of harm.
- Lost Earning Capacity: If your child’s injury is so severe that it will stop them from working or earning as much money as an adult, they can be paid for that lost future income. This looks far ahead into their adult life, projecting what they might have earned if they hadn’t been injured.
- Home Modifications & Special Equipment: If your child needs a wheelchair. Or ramps built into your home. A special bed. Changes to your bathroom. Or even a special van to help them get around. These are huge costs, and they are included in damages.
- Therapies: Physical therapy to help them move better. Occupational therapy to help with daily tasks. Speech therapy to help them talk. Psychological counseling to help with emotional pain. These therapies are often needed for many years, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
- Special Education & Care: If the injury affects your child’s ability to learn, they might need special education classes, private tutors, or even personal aides to help them at school or at home. This ensures they still get the best education possible.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: This refers to how the injury affects your child’s ability to participate in their hobbies. To play sports. To join in social activities. It’s for the everyday joys of childhood and life that they might miss out on because of their injury. It’s a very real loss.
We collaborate with experts, including life care planners and economists. They help us calculate these damages with great care. This ensures your child receives everything they need for their future, not just what’s readily visible at present.
