There are few things in life that provoke fear faster or more profoundly than learning that your child has been hurt. It doesn’t matter whether a child is 6 months or 60 years old, when a loving and invested parent learns that their child has been injured, their instinct is to protect them. With that said, parents of older teenagers are placed in a unique position when it comes to protecting offspring from harm. On the one hand, teens must be given a certain degree of freedom or they’ll never learn how to function in healthy, sustainable ways as young adults. On the other hand, letting teens navigate legal challenges on their own is almost never a good idea. Whether your teen has reached the age of legal majority or not, if they’ve been involved in an accident and have been hurt, chances are very good that they could benefit from a proactive approach to their situation on your part. When your teen has been hurt in an accident, the exercise of freedom and independence isn’t the most important “issue on the table.” What matters most is taking care of their medical and legal needs alike.
Did Your Teen’s Accident JUST Happen?
If you’re scrolling this site in search of advice as you sit in the passenger seat of a car speeding towards your teen’s accident site, consider the following few sentences carefully and then return your attention to the road. You’ll want to help make sure that whoever is driving you doesn’t get into an accident on the way to help your teen. Your main concern right now needs to be ensuring that your teen receives prompt medical attention, even if they don’t immediately seem to be injured. Whiplash, soft-tissue injuries, internal bleeding, concussions, and other “invisible” injuries aren’t always easy to perceive in the immediate aftermath of a crash.
Make sure your teen gets checked out by a physician, first and foremost. Once they’ve received medical attention, you can contact our firm to discuss your family’s legal needs and to protect your teen’s rights as an accident victim. Please contact us even if your teen believes that they are totally at fault for the accident, as things aren’t always as they seem. If, when you get to the scene, your teen is well enough for you to take photos, jot down the names and contact information of witnesses to the crash, exchange insurance information with others involved in the collision, and file an accident report with the police, feel free to do so. However, you’ll want to get your teen checked out medically immediately after you finish these tasks – and don’t be afraid to interrupt these tasks in the event that your teen suddenly appears unwell. Everything else can wait until your teen is taken care of. One final note before you return your attention to the road – if you feel at all uncomfortable speaking to law enforcement officers without legal support present or you need answers to your questions at any time, please call. Our experienced legal team is ready to handle your needs whenever you’re ready to speak with us. Our very best to you and your teen until we hear from you.
Don’t Make Assumptions
If your teen’s accident occurred hours or days ago, it is probably time to connect with our firm. As long as your teen has received any medical care they might require, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to schedule a no-cost, risk-free case evaluation with our firm. Please take this step even if your teen may have caused their accident or contributed to its occurrence in some meaningful way. Oftentimes, accident victims and their families make assumptions about who is to blame for a car accident before they’ve had their situation investigated. Leaving important details uncovered and unknown can have profound consequences, perhaps especially when teens are accident victims. The ways in which this situation is approached will affect your teen’s experience as a driver, as a passenger, and perhaps as a person generally for years to come. Scheduling a consultation with our firm will better ensure that your teen and the rest of your family understand exactly why the accident occurred and whether anyone can be held responsible for the harm your teen has suffered. Responsible parties may include other motorists, those tasked with maintaining the safety of the roadways, auto parts manufacturers, etc.
If You Have Grounds to File a Claim – Next Steps
If, after speaking with your family about the details surrounding your teen’s accident, it seems likely that you have grounds to file one or more insurance claims and/or a personal injury claim, we will – only after receiving your express permission – begin the process of building the strongest possible case on your family’s behalf. Our firm has extensive experience negotiating with insurance providers to ensure that the settlement amounts they are offered are fairly valued and paid out in a timely manner. We also have extensive experience navigating personal injury actions for minor, serious, and catastrophic accidents. No matter what your unique situation looks like, our firm’s dedicated legal professionals are here to help.
Free Legal Consultations Are Available
As soon as you’ve attended to your teen’s medical needs in the wake of their crash, please connect with our experienced legal team so that we can begin protecting their legal rights. Whether they may have been totally or partially responsible for their accident or not, there are legal decisions to be made, insurance settlements to negotiate, and your teen’s future to protect to the absolute best of our ability. We’ll work hard to serve your family’s legal needs and to take as much stress off your shoulders as is possible so that you can focus on taking care of your child right now. We’re profoundly sorry that your family is experiencing these challenges and we look forward to assisting you in any way we can.
Please call 1-800-337-7436 for immediate assistance.