Nothing is more frightening for a parent than seeing their child get hurt. When an injury is caused by someone else’s carelessness, that fear can quickly turn to frustration and a deep desire for answers and accountability. If your child was injured in an accident in Oklahoma City, you are likely facing medical bills, emotional distress, and uncertainty about your child’s future.
An Oklahoma City child injury lawyer can explain your family’s rights and pursue the support you need to move forward.
At Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys, we have been helping families across Oklahoma since 1973. We understand that your child’s well-being is your highest priority. Our team is committed to providing compassionate guidance and determined advocacy for families whose children have been harmed by negligence. We believe in fighting for the rights of individuals and are dedicated to helping your family secure the resources needed for your child’s recovery.
Key Takeaways about Oklahoma City Child Injury Claims
- Child injury cases in Oklahoma involve unique legal considerations, such as a different statute of limitations and complex calculations for future damages.
- Common causes of child injuries that may lead to a legal claim include car accidents, dog bites, incidents at school or daycare, defective products, and slip and fall accidents.
- Compensation in a child injury claim can cover a child’s past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of future earning capacity, as well as a parent’s lost wages.
- An attorney helps by investigating the incident, handling all communications with insurance companies, and accurately valuing the full extent of a child’s injuries.
- Oklahoma law has specific rules for how settlements for minors are managed, often requiring court approval to protect the child’s financial future.
Why Choose Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys for Your Oklahoma City Child Injury Case?
When your child’s future is at stake, the legal team you choose matters. At Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys, we combine decades of experience with a deep, personal commitment to every family we serve. Since our beginnings as a father-and-son firm, we have grown into a team of 11 attorneys and over 30 support staff, all dedicated to one thing: helping people.
Our approach is built on a foundation of compassion and strength. We understand the challenges your family is facing, and we are here to listen and provide support. We also have the resources and determination to stand up to large insurance companies and corporations on your behalf.
Here are a few reasons families trust Carr & Carr:
- Decades of Experience: We have been advocating for injured Oklahomans for over 49 years, building a strong track record of results.
- No Fee Unless We Win: We operate on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay us nothing unless we successfully recover compensation for your family.
- A Team That Cares: From our receptionists to our attorneys, every member of our team genuinely cares about our clients. We do more than just handle legal paperwork; we help families find the resources they need to heal.
We are proud to be the people’s law firm, and we are ready to put our experience to work for you and your child.
Understanding Child Injury Claims in Oklahoma City
A child injury claim is a type of personal injury case that arises when a minor is hurt because of another person’s or entity’s wrongful actions or failure to act. The central legal concept in these cases is negligence. In simple terms, negligence occurs when someone fails to use reasonable care to prevent harm to others.
For example, a driver who is texting while driving through a school zone near an Oklahoma City Public School is not using reasonable care. If that driver causes an accident that injures a child, they can be held legally responsible for the harm they caused.
Child injury cases are different from those involving adults for several important reasons:
- Long-Term Impact: An injury can affect a child’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development for the rest of their life.
- Legal Standards: The law often holds people to a higher standard of care when children are present, recognizing that kids may not be able to appreciate certain dangers.
- Proving Damages: Calculating the financial cost of a child’s injury requires looking far into the future to account for a lifetime of potential medical needs or lost opportunities.
An experienced child injury lawyer understands these unique factors and can build a case that reflects the true and total impact on your child and family.
Common Causes of Child Injuries We Handle
Children can be injured in countless situations, but some types of accidents are more common than others. The team at Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys has experience helping families whose children were harmed in a wide variety of incidents.
We frequently assist clients with claims involving:
- Car and Truck Accidents: Children are often passengers in vehicles involved in collisions on busy roads like I-35, I-40, or the Kilpatrick Turnpike. They can suffer serious injuries even in what seems like a minor crash.
- School and Daycare Incidents: These injuries often result from inadequate supervision, unsafe playground equipment, or a failure to maintain a safe environment for the children in their care.
- Dog Bites: An attack by a dog can be physically and emotionally traumatic for a child. Oklahoma has specific laws that hold dog owners responsible for injuries their pets cause.
- Defective Products: Toys, cribs, car seats, and other children’s products can cause serious harm if they are poorly designed or manufactured.
- Premises Liability Accidents: This includes slip and fall accidents at a store, injuries at a public pool, or accidents at a place like Scissortail Park due to unsafe conditions.
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents: Children are especially vulnerable when walking or riding their bikes in neighborhoods or near busy streets.
If your child was injured in one of these situations or any other incident caused by another’s carelessness, our team is here to discuss your legal options.
The Unique Challenges of a Child’s Injury Case
Presenting a legal claim for an injured child involves challenges not present in adult cases. The two biggest hurdles are calculating future damages and navigating Oklahoma’s specific timelines for filing a lawsuit.
Calculating Future Damages for a Child
When an adult is injured, it is often easier to calculate their financial losses, such as lost wages and medical bills. For a child, the process is far more complex. A serious injury can alter the entire course of a child’s life.
A lawyer works with a network of professionals to understand the full scope of your child’s injuries. This may include:
- Medical Professionals: Doctors, surgeons, and physical therapists can provide a prognosis, which is a medical forecast of the likely course of a disease or ailment. This helps determine the need for future surgeries, medication, and rehabilitative therapy.
- Life Care Planners: These specialists create detailed reports outlining a child’s medical and personal needs for the rest of their life, from assistive technology to in-home care.
- Financial Planners: These professionals can calculate the monetary value of a child’s diminished earning capacity—the income they will lose over their lifetime because their injuries prevent them from pursuing certain careers.
By taking these steps, we can present a clear picture of the total financial support your child will need to live the fullest life possible.
Oklahoma’s Statute of Limitations for Minors
Every state has laws that set a deadline for filing a lawsuit, known as the statute of limitations. This is a legal term for the maximum amount of time you have to initiate legal proceedings after an incident. For most personal injury cases in Oklahoma, the deadline is two years from the date of the injury.
However, the rule is different for minors. In Oklahoma, a minor who is injured has until one year after their 18th birthday to file a lawsuit. While this extended timeline provides flexibility, it is almost always better to act much sooner. Evidence can disappear, witnesses’ memories can fade, and delaying can make it much harder to build a strong case.
What Kind of Compensation Can Be Recovered in an Oklahoma City Child Injury Claim?
The goal of a personal injury claim is to secure financial compensation, known as damages, to cover the losses caused by the injury. While no amount of money can undo what happened, it can provide the critical resources your child needs for their recovery and future stability.
In Oklahoma, a claim for a child’s injury can seek compensation for:
- Current and Future Medical Expenses: This includes everything from the initial emergency room visit and hospital stay to future surgeries, physical therapy, counseling, and any necessary medical equipment.
- Pain and Suffering: This compensates your child for the physical pain and emotional distress they have experienced due to the injury.
- Disfigurement or Permanent Disability: If the injury resulted in scarring, amputation, or a long-term physical or cognitive disability, compensation can be sought for the impact on your child’s quality of life.
- Loss of Future Earning Potential: This covers the income your child will be unable to earn over their lifetime as a result of their injuries.
- Parents’ Lost Wages: Families can often recover wages lost while caring for their injured child, such as taking time off work for hospital stays or doctor appointments.
The attorneys at Carr & Carr carefully document all of these damages to ensure any settlement offer or court award fully accounts for your family’s total losses.
How an Oklahoma City Child Injury Attorney from Carr & Carr Can Help Your Family
After your child is hurt, your focus should be on their care and recovery. Let our team handle the legal process. A child injury lawyer from Carr & Carr will manage every aspect of your case, allowing your family to focus on healing.
Conducting a Thorough Investigation
We begin by immediately launching an in-depth investigation into the incident. This involves gathering all available evidence, such as police reports, photos and videos of the scene, and witness statements. We may also consult with accident reconstructionists or other professionals to establish exactly how the injury occurred and who was at fault.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
Soon after an accident, you will likely be contacted by an insurance adjuster. It is important to remember that the adjuster’s job is to protect their company’s bottom line by paying out as little as possible. They may try to get you to provide a recorded statement or accept a quick, low settlement offer. Once you hire Carr & Carr, we take over all communications with the insurance companies. We will protect your rights and handle the negotiations for you.
Valuing Your Child’s Claim Accurately
One of the most critical roles we play is determining the true value of your child’s claim. As discussed, this involves more than just adding up current medical bills. We work with medical and financial professionals to project the long-term costs associated with the injury, ensuring we demand an amount that will provide for your child’s needs for years to come.
Representing Your Family’s Interests
Our goal is to secure a fair settlement for your family without having to go to court. However, we are experienced trial attorneys who are always prepared to take a case before a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to make a reasonable offer. We will advocate for your child’s best interests every step of the way.
Injuries at School or Daycare: What Parents Should Know
Parents in Oklahoma City trust schools and daycare centers to provide a safe environment for their children. When an injury happens in one of these settings, it is often due to a breach of that trust. Schools and daycare providers have a legal responsibility known as a duty of care to protect the children they supervise.
A breach of this duty can take many forms:
- Inadequate supervision on the playground or in the classroom.
- Failing to properly maintain playground equipment.
- Hiring staff without conducting proper background checks.
- Failing to address bullying or other known dangers.
- Unsafe conditions on the property, such as wet floors or broken furniture.
According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 200,000 children ages 14 and younger are treated in emergency departments for playground-related injuries each year. If your child was injured at school or daycare, a child injury lawyer in Oklahoma City can help determine if the facility failed in its duty of care and can be held responsible.
Oklahoma City Child Injury FAQs
Here are answers to some common questions our attorneys receive from parents of injured children.
What if my child was partially at fault for the accident?
Oklahoma follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can still recover damages as long as your child was not 51% or more at fault for the accident. However, the amount of compensation will be reduced by your child’s percentage of fault. For very young children, the law recognizes they are incapable of being negligent.
How much does it cost to hire a child injury lawyer?
At Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys, we handle all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs or hourly fees. We only get paid a percentage of the total compensation we recover for your family. If we are not successful in winning your case, you owe us nothing.
What should we do to document our child’s injury?
First and foremost, get your child the medical care they need. After that, try to keep detailed records. Take photos of the injuries and the accident scene if possible. Write down everything you remember about how the incident happened. Keep a journal documenting your child’s symptoms, pain levels, and any ways the injury affects their daily life, such as missing school or being unable to play with friends.
Does a court have to approve my child’s settlement?
Oklahoma law protects minors’ financial futures. A judge must review and approve any settlement amount for an injured child to ensure the terms serve your child’s best interest. The court usually places the funds into a structured settlement or a blocked bank account that your child can access when they turn 18. Your lawyer guides your family through this process.
How long does my family have to file a child injury lawsuit in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma law gives a minor one year after their 18th birthday to file a lawsuit, which extends the general two-year statute of limitations. Although this timeline offers flexibility, we always recommend that parents contact a lawyer immediately. Acting quickly helps preserve evidence and witness testimony, which strengthens your case.
What does duty of care mean for a school or daycare center?
A duty of care requires schools and daycares and other institutions to take reasonable steps to protect children from foreseeable harm. Breaching this duty, by failing to supervise children properly or ignoring known safety hazards, makes the facility legally responsible for injuries that occur. We investigate all incidents to determine if the facility failed its duty to your child.
Contact Our Oklahoma City Child Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Your child’s health and happiness are everything. If your child has been hurt, you need a legal team that understands what is at stake. The personal injury attorneys at Carr & Carr have been fighting for Oklahoma families for more than 49 years, and we are ready to fight for yours.Don’t let an insurance company decide your child’s future. Let us help you hold the responsible parties accountable and secure the resources your child needs to heal and thrive. Contact us today at (405) 691-1600 or through our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation. We are here to listen to your story and explain how we can help.
Carr & Carr Injury Attorneys - Oklahoma City Office
Address: 1350 SW 89th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73159
Contact No: 405-691-1600