Injuries to Minors & Children

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• Experience
• A Sampling of Cases We Have Handled
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Generally, anyone under the age of 18 cannot file a lawsuit without the help of a parent, adult or guardian. Children and adolescents are at high risk for many injuries including those caused by:

• Cars and other motor vehicle accidents
• Fireworks
• Bicycle riding
• Lead poisoning
• Scalding water (Burns)
• Medical Malpractice
• Playground equipment (premises liability)
• Ingestion of household products such as cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, foreign bodies, and plants
• Household fires (Burns)
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Swimming-related accidents (premises liability)

In some instances these accidents can lead to death or severe disability. Personal injury lawsuits filed on behalf of children can therefore deal with the extraordinary costs that may be involved with the care of a severely injured child through their maturity and adult life.

Our attorneys worked for major insurance companies as well as the City of New York before becoming plaintiff's lawyers. Our attorneys know how insurance carriers and municipalities investigate, work up, negotiate and defend lawsuits. After approximately a decade of defense representation the attorneys began representing people who suffered serious injuries. They have been representing injured parties for more than 10 years.

A 6 year old girl was riding her brand new bicycle in a suburban neighborhood. There were no sidewalks. Her mother went inside the house to get her camera. The young girl drove to the neighbor's house, came down the driveway and entered the street. A bus driver was distracted by children who were misbehaving on the bus. The bus hit the little girl. There was an issue regarding the brakes on the bus because only one rear tire left a skid mark. The reasonableness of the child's operation of the bicycle was measured against how other 6 years would act. Luckily she was wearing her helmet, the helmet split in half, it saved her life.

A little girl was bit in the face by the neighbor's dog. The dog was allowed to roam free in the yard even though there was a hole in the fence. The little girl was playing with a puppy the neighbors had recently brought home and their older dog stuck its face through the hole and bit the little girl.

A young boy was petting the neighbor's dog that was on a leash, the dog bit him in the face. The dog had bitten someone previously.

A young boy was coming out of a driveway in a residential neighborhood. A vehicle was double parked. A car traveling on the street could not see the driveway because of the double parked car. The young boy was hit by the car.

A family was out for a day on the boat. The boat hit a large wake and flipped over injuring a young girl.

An infant was burned as the result of domestic hot water that measured 158 degrees Fahrenheit. She suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 20% of her body. She was hospitalized for one month. Debridement and skin grafting was done. She developed an infection and she passed away. A case was brought against the landlord for the excessively high water temperature and the medical professionals who failed to diagnose and treat the infection that caused her untimely death.

An 11 year old girl suffered burns on almost 40% of her body when a stove tipped over causing boiling water to spill on her. The stove was defectively installed. The stove lacked an anti-tip device that would have prevented the stove from tipping over. She was hospitalized for 6 weeks, her wounds were debrided and skin grafting was done. She will need to have scar revision surgery when she turns 16 years of age.

A teenage boy was burned on 5% of his body when a waitress dropped a plate with hot food on his arm. He was treated and released from the emergency room. He now has many small scars from his shoulder to his hand. The restaurant was over crowded and the tray was overloaded.

A fire took place in a 3 story apartment building. A mother of 3 was alerted to the fire by a neighbor. She grabbed her infant and her toddler and told her 6 year old son to follow them down to the street. When she got to the street, her 6 year old was not with her. She ran back up the stairs to the 3rd floor. Her son was in the apartment, frozen with fear. The fire had engulfed the staircase, blocking their exit from the building. She tried to get out through the fire escape however the fire escape window was blocked by security bars that had been screwed into the window frame with tamper proof screws by the landlord. The mother and her son could not get out of the apartment. They were found by the fire department. She suffered burns on 20% of her body and her son was overcome by smoke inhalation. She was hospitalized for more than one month, and her son died 3 days after the fire from smoke inhalation.

A young boy was injured on a swing set located on school property. The school district failed to properly maintain the equipment. The chains were rusty and exposed hooks were present.

A child was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. He sustained head injuries and died within minutes after the accident.

It is really important that we begin our investigation as soon as possible. We need to contact witnesses, if possible take photos of the accident scene and the injuries. The case goes much smoother when we are called soon after the accident. It is our job to maximize the amount that our clients recover. Through different means of investigation, we are able to build a case that maximizes the recovery and minimizes the delays.

Our firm understands that your immediate goals after going through such a traumatic experience are to get the best medical care possible, make sure that your medical bills are covered, and make sure that you do not suffer financially through any lost wages. Our experienced attorneys will discuss your situation and go over the options available to you, as well as work with insurance companies and other parties involved in your case to make sure all your needs are handled quickly and appropriately. Time is short, do not delay, contact us or call us.

• Child Accident Prevention
• Medline
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Consumer Product Safety Commission

Our firm represents minors and children located in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, New York State and many other states (New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, and California, and we will handle a case in any state provided we can do so in full compliance with court rules regarding multijurisdictional practice, association of local counsel and/or admission pro hac vice).

If you know of a child that has been injured, CONTACT US ONLINE OR CALL US AT (516) 742-8897= (516) PIATTYS in Long Island, (212) 267-9377= (212) ANSWERS In Manhattan TO SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION. If you can't come to us, we will come to you in the hospital or we will visit you in our mobile office.