Brownsville Child Injury Lawyers

On any given day, hundreds of Brownsville children suffer injuries in preventable accidents, from motor vehicle crashes on International Boulevard to falls on Brownsville Independent School District playgrounds.

Most children escape serious injuries in these incidents. But not all do. Sometimes kids suffer harm that has a lasting impact on their health, lives, and families. Often, those serious injuries happen because of the careless, dangerous conduct of someone other than the child.

If your child suffered serious injuries in a preventable accident in Brownsville, you may receive significant financial compensation from the at-fault party. Kenny Perez Law in Brownsville represents child victims and their families in child injury cases, and we may have the ability to help you secure the money you deserve. Contact our Brownsville child injury attorneys today to learn more.

How Child Injuries Happen in Brownsville

Brownsville is the home to roughly 182,781 people, about 30.4 percent of whom are under 18. These children can get hurt in Brownsville in a virtually limitless number of ways. However, a few categories of accidents and incidents account for the vast majority of serious injuries that affect children.

For example, the Kenny Perez Law team can help when children suffer injuries in:

• Motor vehicle accidents, which constitute a leading cause of preventable childhood injuries and fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children get hurt as passengers in vehicles that crash, and as pedestrians or cyclists struck by motor vehicles.
• Falls, which also account for a high number of child emergency room visits annually. Kids commonly fall and get hurt on playgrounds, in particular.
• Swimming pool incidents, including falls on hard pool decks, diving and jumping into shallow water, and falling into water without having the ability to swim.
• Residential fires due to inadequate fire safety precautions and systems in single-family homes and apartment buildings.
• Gunshots and violent crime, including accidental discharge of firearms left unsecured in homes, stray bullets from shootings, bullying, and domestic violence.
• Sexual abuse by adults who supervise children, including parents, teachers, coaches, clergy, and youth activity leaders.
• Dog bites, which especially affect young children who lack the awareness to recognize when a dog is agitated and about to attack.
• Poisoning and long-term toxic exposure to environmental hazards (like lead paint dust), which can cause severe acute harm, lasting illness, and developmental delays
• Contact/high-impact sports and recreation, including hard hits on athletic fields, falls from bicycles or skateboards, and mishaps while engaging in potentially high-impact activities like gymnastics.

This list does not cover all of the ways children can suffer serious harm in Brownsville, of course. No matter how an injury happens, the Kenny Perez Law Team possesses the resources and know-how to investigate and hold the at-fault parties accountable.

Serious Child Injuries We Handle

Just as the scenarios that can harm children are virtually limitless, so are the types of injuries they might suffer.

Personal Injury attorney Kenny Perez can help child injury victims and their families secure compensation for, among others:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions from falls and sports, and brain injuries acquired in drowning incidents, any of which can have a serious impact on a child’s development, schooling, and day-to-day life.
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) that transform a child’s life in an instant and impose huge lifetime costs.
• Burns, severe lacerations, and other injuries that can cause nerve damage, lasting pain, and disfiguring scars,
• Broken bones, especially complex fractures that may require multiple surgeries to correct and might still leave a child with permanent limitations.
• Illnesses and developmental delays caused by exposure to poisons or environmental hazards.
• Emotional distress resulting from traumatic events.
• Wrongful death, when any of the incidents or injuries above tragically cut short a child’s life in Brownsville.

The team at Kenny Perez Law understands the devastation a serious injury can inflict on a child and the child’s family. We work tirelessly to see justice done and to secure appropriate compensation to help injured children and their loved ones overcome the pain and difficulty.

Compensation for Brownsville Child Injuries

Serious injuries to children usually happen in Brownsville because an adult did not exercise the reasonable care necessary to keep the injured child safe. Texas law holds those at-fault adults, and anyone else answerable for their conduct, financially accountable for a child’s injuries.

Attorney Kenny Perez represents children and their families in legal actions seeking that compensation.

In many Brownsville child injury cases, by pursuing a lawsuit or insurance claim, Kenny can secure payment for:

• The child’s medical care
• Expenses the child and child’s family would not have incurred were it not for the injury
• Parents’ lost wages while caring for a child
• A child’s diminished earning capacity due to an injury
• The child’s pain, suffering, and life challenges, including mental health struggles that often accompany a serious childhood injury
• After a child’s tragic death, damages to compensate the child’s family for their loss

Sometimes, Kenny can also secure punitive damages when a child’s injury happened because of someone’s extreme or intentionally harmful actions.

A Brownsville Child Injury Lawyer Answers Your Questions

Brownsville, Texas, is a great place to raise children, with a great public school system and plenty of activities for families, like the Gladys Porter Zoo or Boca Chica State Park. Unfortunately, no matter where you raise your kids, accidents can happen.

Do you have questions about your child’s right to compensation after they suffered injuries in an accident? Contact our personal injury attorneys for a free consultation regarding your child’s specific rights.

What are some of the most common child injuries in Brownsville, Texas?

Brownsville, Texas is a great community. However, it does see child injuries, including at school, injuries from negligence on the school bus, and even child trafficking. Children can suffer injuries from negligence by school staff members, school bus drivers, or facility owners, even in facilities intended for children. Children can also face significant dangers in public swimming pools and aquatic centers, especially without adequate supervision. They may also suffer broken bones and other serious injuries on playgrounds.

What happens if my child suffers an injury on private property in Brownsville, Texas?

Private property poses a wide range of potential accident risks for children in Brownsville, Texas. Many residents have swimming pools, which can prove incredibly tempting for children. Other residents may have trampolines or playgrounds that children cannot resist sneaking over to try out, even when they are not invited onto the property.

Private property owners have a higher duty of care to children than to adult visitors, even if a child is trespassing. For example, Brownsville residents must make sure that their swimming pools have self-closing gates with locks to help prevent children from sneaking inside. And they must keep pets leashed or fenced, to protect children from potential attack.

If your child suffers an accident on private property in Brownsville, Texas, a negligent property owner may bear liability for your child’s injury. Negligence may include failing to properly secure a swimming pool or animal, or allowing dangerous play equipment or other tempting hazards to remain in their backyard. Generally, you can file for compensation through the owner’s property insurance policy.

Can I sue the Brownsville school district if my child suffers an injury at school?

A school is responsible for reducing the risk of child injury during the school day, including providing safe play equipment for student use.

Unfortunately, in Texas, you may have a very hard time seeking compensation from the school district through a personal injury claim because of a concept called sovereign immunity, Texas school districts can only be sued when a child suffers a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident. Even if your child suffered a serious injury due to a teacher’s or staff member’s negligence, including extremely poorly maintained equipment or outright bullying, you may have trouble suing the school district for compensation.

Who gets the money from a personal injury claim I file on behalf of my child in Brownsville, Texas?

In general, the court will set aside funds from a successful personal injury claim for the child, not the parents. While settlement proceeds may pay expenses like a hospital lien, the majority of the funds from the personal injury claim usually go directly to the child. A trust may hold those funds for the child to access once they turn 18. Sometimes, a court may not even release funds for out-of-pocket medical expenses to the parents.

Can I recover compensation for lost work when my child suffers serious injuries in Brownsville, Texas and I need to provide care?

In general, the Brownsville courts will not provide compensation to the parents of a child for wages lost while caring for an injured child. The courts assume that you take on that risk and responsibility as part of parenthood and usually will not issue any compensation for those losses. Talk to an attorney to learn more about whether you may have grounds to include those expenses as part of your child injury claim.

How long do I have to file a claim after my child suffers an injury in Brownsville, Texas?

In general, you must file a claim before the statute of limitations runs out. In Texas, the statute of limitations is generally two years after an accident. However, if the injured person is a minor, the statute of limitations generally does not start counting down until the child’s eighteenth birthday. This gives the child time to decide for themselves, as an adult, whether they want to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for the damages they sustained in the accident. As a result, your child may have until their twentieth birthday to file a personal injury claim. Consult an attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your child’s right to seek compensation and when they should file their claim.

Should I file a child injury claim immediately after my child suffers a serious injury in Brownsville, Texas?

Talk to an attorney to learn more about your rights and how long you have to file a child injury claim, as well as when you should file. In many cases, your attorney will need to start collecting evidence immediately after the accident, but they may advise that you wait to actually file your claim.

The long-term effects of a serious injury on a child can vary immensely. Sometimes, children heal faster than adults, especially from relatively minor injuries. In other cases, however, children may suffer long-term impacts from their injuries, including some they may not feel until long after the initial accident. An attorney may recommend waiting until your child’s doctors have the opportunity to observe some of those long-term impacts, especially if your child sustained severe injuries in the accident.

Consult our experienced child injury attorneys to learn the best course of action for your child’s situation.