Child accident & injury compensation claims

Here are some examples of personal injuries you could claim for on behalf of your child, although this list is not exhaustive:

• Food poisoning
• Eye injuries
• Spine injuries
• Brain and head injuries

They might have suffered injuries from a slip, trip or fall or during a family holiday. Either way, a child personal injury claim could give you compensation to support your child and family.

If your child has suffered an accident or develop a health condition due to the fault of another party, you could be entitled to make a child personal injury claim. You can talk to us about whether this might be feasible.

As with any claim, it's important to collect as much evidence as possible as close to the incident as you can. Evidence might include:

• Witness statements
• Medical records and certificates
• Photographs of any injuries and the scene of the incident
• CCTV footage

You must also pursue your child injury claim in the correct time frame.

You can claim on behalf of a child at any point until they turn 18. After this, the standard three-year time limit will begin. If you have claimed for them as a child, they won't be able to do this again once they become an adult. 

A litigation friend is appointed to represent and make decisions about a court case for either:

• A child
• An adult who lacks the mental capacity to manage their own court case either with or without a solicitor

 You can apply to be someone's litigation friend or be appointed by the court, provided you are able to make fair and competent decisions about the claim and their own interests don't conflict with those of the child claimant.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), 2.7 million people each year go to A&E after an accident that took place at home.

Whether you can claim depends on the circumstances of the accident. In some cases, a child may be injured by a faulty product or something in the home that is the responsibility of a landlord or tradesperson. By speaking with the experts we work with, you can get a better idea of whether you could make a child personal injury claim.  

Yes, you can still make a claim even if your child was injured abroad. Your child may have suffered from food poisoning, a pool-related accident or any other personal injury. An accident abroad shouldn't impact your rights in making a child injury claim.

If you get in touch, we can assess whether you could make a child accident claim after an incident abroad. 

You have three options for starting your child accident claim with us.

1. Use our claim calculator to see what your settlement could look like. From here, you can leave your details with us so we can get in touch.
2. Give us a call on 0800 587 0344. Our lines are open 8am-9pm Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on Saturdays and 9:30am-5pm on Sundays.
3. Request a call back and let us know a time that suits you.

If we decide that your child injury claim case should be passed to one of our panel firms, the process will usually involve the following steps: 

1. Your child injury solicitor will listen to your experience and potentially ask for supporting evidence like photographs, medical records and witness contact details.
2. Your solicitor will then contact the responsible party and inform them that you intend to make a claim.
3. That party will either accept the blame or contest it.
4. If your claim is successful, you'll receive your settlement and your solicitor will take a pre-agreed percentage as their fee. You won't have to pay anything if you lose the case as it was taken on a no win no fee basis.

We understand that you'll want answers as soon as possible, which is why we offer a fast assessment process to let you know instantly whether you have a reasonable child injury claim. We'll take care of the legal process and keep you in the loop as things progress.

Several factors will influence how long the process takes. This includes the amount of evidence gathered, the extent of the injuries suffered, and whether the responsible party accepts liability.

Compensation is assessed in two main parts:

• General damages take into account the pain and suffering caused
• Special damages assess ascertainable losses such as lost wages or medical expenses

When assessing possible child personal injury claim compensation amounts, we use the most recent edition of the Judicial College Guidelines to help inform any general damages. Child cases are subject to infant approval hearings. This is an informal meeting with a judge to agree that the compensation award is fair. This is put in a trust until the child's 21st birthday.

Assuming you're happy to let one of our child injury lawyers represent your case, we'll proceed on a no win no fee basis. This means that any legal fees won't need to be paid unless you win your case. If this happens, an agreed percentage of your compensation will be deducted as a fee. However, you won't pay a penny if your case is unsuccessful.

We'll advise you to take out an insurance policy to protect you from any costs. We can arrange this on your behalf and you won't have to pay the premium upfront.