Virginia Daycare Injury Lawyer
As a working parent, you’re already spread thin with the demands of balancing work with family activities and responsibilities. Working long hours, you depend on and entrust your children to daycare centers, where you expect your little ones to be kept safe and free from any danger.
The unfortunate reality is it’s not always the case in Virginia. Whether from negligence or outright abuse, children who have undergone the turmoil of an injury at daycare deserve treatment and nurturing to help them overcome their trauma. If your child’s been injured, Rutter Mills wants you to know you have the right to seek justice and financial compensation under the law. Our daycare injury lawyers can assist you every step of the way.
What Are My Rights If My Child Is Injured At Daycare?
It’s never an easy decision to leave your child in the care of others. This is why daycares are required to be officially licensed by the state or local government. However, despite licensing requirements for daycares, this doesn’t mean that you’re always guaranteed quality.
Your civil rights entitle you to file a claim to help cover the expenses of your child’s recovery. Don’t be burdened by the financial consequences of a caregiver’s irresponsible behavior. Take legal action as soon as possible.
How Our Virginia Daycare Injury Lawyers Can Help
You may wonder what exactly our team can do for you during this difficult time. Our Virginia daycare injury attorneys can help you in many ways, but here are a few of the most critical ways we assist our clients during cases.
- We’ll handle the legal leg-work on your behalf. We understand your priority is with your child. You don’t need the headache of a legal battle against your daycare’s insurance company. You can rest assured that there is no need to juggle being present with your child with being in a legal negotiation. Our lawyers at Rutter Mills will handle all of the legal work for your claim and represent you and your child’s best interests.
- We have the know-how to calculate damages done to you. One of the most common mistakes parents make when filing claims against daycares is underestimating how much their child’s damages will cost. Once you’ve settled with an insurance company, the amount you’re paid for your child’s recovery is final. You don’t have to shoulder the burden alone of accurately totaling the funds you need. We will assist you in making sure nothing gets left out of your final settlement total.
- We have experience dealing with insurance companies and the defense so you don’t have to. Not many Virginia citizens have the knowledge needed to wrestle with insurance companies. The daycare, any negligent parties involved, and their insurance companies aren’t going to keel over and admit fault. Just because you have the right to file a claim doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed the settlement you require for your child’s healing or the justice your family deserves. Our Rutter Mills daycare injury attorneys have the skill to negotiate the correct terms so you can be where you need to be – with your children.
The negotiation process can be long and difficult if you don’t have an experienced lawyer by your side. At Rutter Mills, we routinely go up against insurance companies for our clients, saving them space to get well again.
Serious Injuries Occur in Virginia Daycares
Hundreds of serious injuries occur in Virginia daycares each year. The types of injuries vary, but most children typically sustain injuries such as:
- Choking
- Drowning
- Poisoning
- Burns
- Electrocution
- Abuse or sexual assault
- Broken bones
- Allergic reactions
All of these can happen due to a multitude of different factors:
- faulty playground equipment or toys
- improperly maintained facilities
- lack of cleanliness
- predatory individuals
Regardless of how your child’s injuries may have occurred, know that if negligence is the culprit, you will most likely have a case against the daycare and any caregivers involved.
What Happens If My Child’s Been Injured At Daycare?
When a daycare breaches its duty of care to your child, it breaks your trust. If your child suffers an injury, you have the right to file a claim against the child care center and any negligent party responsible. We recommend a few steps to take to make sure you have all the proof of wrongdoing against your child:
- Take pictures. Evidence is harder to get with the passage of time. If there is a visible injury to your child, documenting it will help support you.
- See a doctor, even if the injury seems minor. There may be repercussions to your child’s injury that an experienced doctor would recognize.
- Consult a lawyer. Our Rutter Mills lawyers can walk you through additional steps to ensure your child’s injury isn’t swept under the rug.
Get Compensation for All Damages Your Child Suffered
Injuries from daycares aren’t all visible, but they can all be damaging. The inattention of a caregiver can result in:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Permanent mental trauma and emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Medical expenses such as ER visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, medical equipment, physical therapy, and psychological services
- Disability or disfigurement
- Lost wages from missed work caring for your child
These are just a few of many damages related to daycare injuries that you can file a claim for. There are signs and symptoms of maltreatment that go beyond this list. Our Rutter Mills team can help you identify any harmful effects on your children and put you on the path to the right treatments as quickly as possible.
As long as the damages your child sustained are related to the daycare injury, they can qualify for compensation and your family can rest at ease knowing your medical bills are covered. You can call our offices to speak with a Rutter Mills team member to better understand what you’re entitled to.
Get Justice for The Wrongful Death of Your Loved One
While wrongful death is relatively rare in Virginia, there are extreme cases where children do die under the watch of a daycare. In these tragic cases, you can also pursue financial compensation and fight for justice for your loved one.
Losing a child is a tremendous loss. While no amount of money can ever undo what happened, we do what is in our power to correct the wrongs you’ve endured. Our goal is to help you have the financial means to move forward. When these tragedies happen, we help you hold caregivers accountable for their actions or inaction.
Deadlines to File Claims for Daycare Injuries in Virginia
In Virginia, a general statute of limitations, a deadline, gives parents two years to file a claim after their child sustains an injury. However, certain factors surrounding your case may significantly shorten the time you have to get started.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best not to sit on your case. As time passes, it’s harder to get evidence of your child’s suffering. Daycares waste no time calling licensing agents to come in and affirm whether or not there is proof that your child was injured under their care. If daycare insurance companies have inspectors and lawyers to fight for them – why not have us fight for you?
Right after your child gets injured, seek medical assistance and then contact our law firm as soon as possible. If you wait too long to file your claim, you risk forfeiting your right to hold the daycare and other negligent parties responsible for your child’s injuries.
Settle For More: Why Your Virginia Lawyer Matters
Insurance companies come to parents quickly after a daycare accident to try and get them to settle for less fast. They may offer you compensation that looks tempting, but in reality, is a bare minimum offer, and only serves to benefit themselves in the long run. That could leave your family stranded with less than what you need to pay for your recovery. The main goal of the insurance company is to try and get you to agree to a settlement on their terms before you get a lawyer.
Our advice? Try to avoid speaking with any insurance adjuster or any representative from the daycare. Our Rutter Mills team has highly skilled lawyers who have previously worked for insurers and know the ins and outs of insurance coverage, so we can guide you through any carefully crafted details.
Before you make any decisions, have one of our experienced and dedicated daycare injury lawyers review your case and any settlement offers made to you.
Get a Free Consultation Today
For more than 60 years, our trusted team at Rutter Mills has handled even the toughest cases brought to our firm and have defended children’s injury cases until they receive the care they need to really heal.
To receive a free consultation at no risk or obligation to you, please call us or fill out our online contact form. Our team is available 24/7 to assist you. Learn more about your legal options today.
