Gone are the days of knowing that your loved ones are safe when they are on a school campus and nowadays, the need for a good school liability law firm Virginia residents and people in the surrounding communities can rely on, is on the rise. With this increasing need, the kinds of injuries people sustain while on campus are changing too. 50 years ago, injuries on school campuses rarely made the news and if they did, it was more likely to be about a child getting injured on the playground rather than many of the horrific tales of violence that are becoming unfortunately more common.
Common Causes of School Related Injuries
Students, teachers, district employees and visitors, name just a few of the many people that may wind up getting hurt on a school campus. It does not matter what age a person is or what their purpose for being on campus is, if someone is becomes injured or unwell while on a school’s property, the school may be liable for expenses and damages related to the person’s injury.
School related injuries can be anywhere from mild to catastrophic and in some cases, fatal. A person can be injured physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or psychologically. A person’s injury may be something that obviously occurred on a campus, such as broken bones, cuts, wounds, bruises, scrapes and concussions, etc. A school related injury can also be an illness that developed because of environmental or other hazards such as toxic mold or asbestos.
The following are common causes of school related injuries:
- Sporting and athletic events
- Faulty or dangerous playground equipment
- Weapons
- Bullying and tormenting
- Inadequate security and safety measure
- Lack of or negligent supervision
- Asbestos, mold, and other environmental hazards
- Improper touching or physical contact
- Sexual assaults
- Physical assaults and battery
- Robberies
- Adult violence toward child or teen
- Child or teen violence toward adult
- Student to student violence
- Adult to adult violence
The above are some of the common causes of school related injuries. It is not a comprehensive list nor is it meant to be legal advice in any way.
Compensation for School Related Injuries
Regardless of the cause, when someone is injured in the United States on someone else’s property, the property owner may be liable for expenses related to the person’s injury. This applies to both public and private school campuses including pre-schools, K-12, colleges and universities. When people are injured in Virginia or in the surrounding states, they may find it easier and more efficient to seek compensation with the help of a reputable school liability law firm Virginia families and community members recommend.
A school injury victim or a deceased victim’s surviving family members may be able to seek compensation for the victim’s injuries through a personal injury claim in a civil court.
Personal injury laws differ from state to state as does the limits of a doctrine called sovereign immunity. Sovereign immunity has its origins in old English law and literally translates to, “the King can do no wrong.” This means that unless a state has passed a law allowing citizens to do so, one cannot sue a government institution. The federal government and many states have passed laws allowing lawsuits for government negligence albeit some states, such as Virginia, have capped recovery amounts.
While the specifics vary from state to state, in general, there are two main things that a plaintiff (the injured victim) needs to prove:
1) The plaintiff was/is in fact injured
2) The plaintiff’s injury was caused by the defendant’s negligence, malice and/or
reckless behavior
Many people find it more effective to seek compensation for school injuries with the help of a personal injury law firm that has lawyers who are licensed to practice in the state the injury occurred.
For a school liability law firm Virginia school injury victims and their families can turn to in difficult times, contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case evaluation any time of the day or night.
