Is the School Liable if My Child is Hurt While There?

When you send your child off to school in New York City, you assume that they will return home safe. However, it’s estimated that throughout the United States, approximately four million children suffer a school accident each year.

While your child’s school can’t ensure that nothing will happen to your child, the fact is that many of these school accidents could have been prevented. Your child’s injuries may have occurred due to negligence on the part of the teacher, school administration or maintenance staff..

If your child was injured while at a New York City school, you should contact a Manhattan injury attorney to ensure your family receives all the compensation they deserve for their school injuries, because the school or administrators may be held liable in certain cases.

The Question of Liability In New York City Schools

New York City schools have a duty to maintain a safe environment for your child. This means that they are obligated to make sure that the school building is well-maintained and that the playground, exterior areas, and other facilities are kept up and are safe for your child to use.

Your child could suffer an injury due to a slip and fall caused by a leaky roof that caused the floors to become wet and slippery, or maybe a child injury occurred on the playground due to inadequately maintained or broken playground equipment. The school may be held liable for those types of injuries as well.

Additionally, if your child is injured at a New York City school due to bullying, roughhousing, or a fight, the school may be held liable if the school staff failed to intervene. This is because New York City schools have a duty to not only hire adequate staff, but to ensure that the staff is properly trained and will properly supervise all students.

New York City school districts are also tasked with the responsibility to make sure any staff hired is properly screened before being allowed to interact with your child in any way.

What to Do If Your Child Is Injured While Attending a New York City School

The first priority, of course, is to ensure that your child has been properly treated for any injuries, and then your next step should be to immediately contact a Manhattan injury attorney. Most lawsuits are brought against the school system your child attends in New York City.

Following the accident, be sure to have your child write down everything that happened leading up to the accident or tell you what happened so you can write it down. This includes what the child was doing, who was present, what happened, and what the response was from school officials following the injuries.

There is a strict time limit in place in which you have to file a claim for any child injury that occurred in a New York City public school. You must file a claim with the government administrative agency within ninety days of your child’s injuries. Failure to do so, could mean your claim will be summarily dismissed. Whether your child attends a public or a private school in New York City, you should seek out the services of a knowledgeable and experienced Manhattan attorney as soon as possible to make sure your family receives all the compensation they deserve to handle the fallout from the injuries suffered by your son or daughter.

School injuries can occur in many different ways and for a variety of different reasons, but the most important thing is to speak to a school injury lawyer in New York City as soon as possible. Our team of experienced lawyers at Greenberg & Stein can help you if your child has been injured in a New York City school for any of the reasons mentioned above.

While every school injury case is unique, you can be assured that our team will explore every legal option available in order to ensure that your family receives a fair and just compensation if your child has been injured at school.

We offer a free consultation and a 24-hour phone line, so don’t hesitate to call us following your child’s injury or accident at school. Call us today at 888-411-3966 to schedule your free legal consultation.