When you’re the parent of a child you expect minor scrapes and bruises to happen from time to time, but when serious injuries occur parents may find themselves at a loss as to what action they should take. The most important thing is for parents to get their child medical attention immediately, and after any treatment is complete parents can begin the process of determining who is responsible for their child’s injuries.

Preserving Memory

The events surrounding an injury are often hazy when parents try to recall them, and this is because the urgency of the moment causes the body and mind to focus on getting help for the child instead of remembering small details. In order to preserve this information before it’s forgotten parents should write down:

• The names of all individuals involved
• The exact location where the incident took place
• Any noticeable factors that could have caused the injury
• Other details such as weather and time of day

Assessing the Injury

Parents should also keep a watchful eye on the injury and how it progresses. Even injuries that seem minor at first can worsen if not cared for properly, and some steps parents should follow include:

• gathering medical records pertaining to the injury
• examining the injury at least three times a week to ensure it is healing
• taking photographs of the injury from the day it occurs until it is fully healed

By following these steps parents will be able to give an accurate accounting of the impact the injury has had on their child’s life. Physical evidence such as medical records and photographs verify the reports of parents in the event that a lawsuit is filed in an effort to recover damages.

Medical Treatment for Child Injuries

Parents are often very quick to get their child medical treatment immediately after the injury occurs, but it is just as important for parents to follow through with further treatment after the injury has begun to heal.

• Follow All Treatment Recommendations – Even if a parent doesn’t completely agree with a doctor’s treatment plan they should either follow it or seek out a second opinion.
• Visit Any Recommended Specialists – Parents should make sure children see any specialists that a primary physician recommends. Specialists focus on a single aspect of medicine and can often better assess an injury and expedite the healing process.
• Get Testing Done – Even if a medical test doesn’t seem necessary it is often in the child’s best interest to have them done. Some injuries may not be present during a physical examination and having a test done is the only way to reveal them.

File a Lawsuit

Once the evidence has been gathered and the child has gotten proper medical attention, the next step a parent needs to take is to hire a personal injury attorney. It’s difficult for the average person to go to court and win their case without legal assistance.

Mummy will make it better by Nathan Jones / CC BY 2.0