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First, get your child medical attention, even if they seem all right and don’t have any specific complaints. Sometimes injuries aren’t apparent right away, or may not start to hurt immediately. Children may also be frightened or in shock after an accident, and could have a hard time communicating if they are in pain. Having a doctor look them over will ensure no potentially serious injuries are missed.
If you or your family have been involved in a car accident, you may be dealing with a lot. When another driver was at fault, getting their insurance carrier to pay your claim might be more challenging than it should be. Meanwhile, if you’ve had to miss work due to your injuries, paying a stack of medical bills could prove difficult. You shouldn’t have to worry about these things while focusing on your recovery and your family.
Attorney Ali Awad, founder of the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, is ready to help you secure compensation for your injuries. He quickly built his firm into the fastest-growing law firm in the country, besting 499 others. When he isn’t negotiating a settlement with an insurance company or representing clients in the courtroom, he dispenses witty yet useful legal advice to more than a million followers on social media. For a free consultation about your family’s car accident, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm today.
Helping a Child Injured in a Car Accident
Aside from the physical injuries, a car accident may be very scary and traumatic for a child (and for adults, too). Of course it’s important to address your child’s physical injuries, but pay attention to their mood and behavior following the accident as well. If the child seems troubled or anxious, encourage them to talk about how they’re feeling and remind them that they’re safe now. If they don’t seem to be doing any better after a week or two, consider talking with a children’s therapist about other ways to help them.
Preventing Car Accident Injuries for Kids
Sadly, car accidents are a leading cause of death for Georgia children between 1 and 12 years of age. However, the CDC reports that the risk of child injury and death can be curtailed by up to 82 percent through the use of age-appropriate car seats or booster seats. In a study of child car accident fatalities from 2019, they found that 38 percent of kids 12 and younger who died in car accidents were unrestrained.
Georgia Car and Booster Seat Laws
Georgia has enacted the following statutes designed to protect kids in car accidents:
- Children younger than 8 who are shorter than 57 inches (a little under 5 feet) must ride in the backseat. Older children may want to start riding in the front passenger seat or “call shotgun,” but it simply isn’t safe until they’re bigger. The front passenger airbag is designed to protect an adult, and deploys with a safe amount of force – for an adult. For a young child, this inflation of the airbag could actually cause worse injuries than it might prevent, which is why it’s recommended that smaller kids ride in the back.
- Kids younger than eight should also be in a car seat or booster designed for their age and size. Children grow quickly, so you should check the manufacturer’s specs on the car seat frequently to make sure you know when it’s time for an upgrade.
- If you’re riding in a truck or other vehicle without a backseat, a child younger than eight can ride in the front, but they must weigh at least 40 pounds.
- Child seatbelt usage is a primary violation in Georgia, meaning that law enforcement can pull you over just because they observe that your child appears to be unrestrained. They don’t have to stop you for another violation like speeding or running a red light. A child restraint violation results in a $50 fine and one point on your license for each unrestrained child in your vehicle.
Teaching your kids to use restraints and eventually a seatbelt starts with you – always set a good example by wearing your own seatbelt.
Who is Responsible for the Medical Bills for a Minor Involved in a Car Accident?
Generally, parents are responsible for their kids’ medical bills. However, if your child was injured in a car crash due to another driver’s negligence, you are entitled to be reimbursed for their medical costs and other damages (as well as your own). This includes physical and mental healthcare, so if your child needs to see a therapist to help them cope after an accident, that treatment should be covered as well.
Georgia is an at-fault state for car accidents, meaning that the at-fault driver – or in most cases, their insurance company – should be responsible for the other party’s injuries in the accident. Unfortunately, fault isn’t always clear in a police report, especially if there weren’t any witnesses readily available at the scene. The other driver may try to blame you, and their insurance carrier will probably agree so they don’t have to pay your claim. It can be difficult to prove the other motorist was at fault on your own, and arguing with the insurance company often makes things worse.
The best thing you can do is to contact an experienced Georgia car accident attorney to investigate the crash and gather evidence to prove the other driver’s fault. Often our team is able to visit the crash site, knock on doors, and uncover witnesses or video the police weren’t aware of. We will also request traffic camera footage where available and analyze any electronic data from your car. If there’s a way to prove your case, we’ll find it.
Car Accident Lawyers at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm Can Help
When you need help paying for medical bills and other expenses after your child was injured in a car accident, call the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free consultation. There’s no obligation, and no fees until we win your case.