July 17, 2024

My Child Was Hit by a Car: Steps to Take and Legal Advice

If your child was hit by a car in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or West Virginia and you are seeking compensation and legal help, you are in the right place. In this article we’ll look at the legal options you can take when or if your kid is hit by a car.

Immediate Steps to Take When Your Child Is Hit by a Car

If you are reading this because you are trying to learn and prepare for any situation as a parent or caregiver read on. If your child experienced an accident, you can skip this section. Here are three things you should do immediately after a kid is hit by a car:

Care for your child
- Make sure your child is in a safe location.
- Check for any obvious injuries. If you have training, administer first aid as needed.
- Try to keep your child stationary and calm.
Call 911
- Even if there are no immediate visible injuries, your child could have suffered serious internal damage. That’s why it will be important to have them looked at by a medical professional.
- Law enforcement professionals will be able to help manage the scene of the accident. They will also start an accident report. This can be helpful as you consider a legal case.
Document the scene, if you are able to, capture as much information about what happened as possible. This could include:
- The driver’s name and driver's license detail
- The make, model, color, and year of the vehicle along with the license plate number.
- Photos of the accident scene
- Names and phone numbers of any potential witnesses

As your child begins to heal, find an experienced child accident attorney in Ohio. Share all of the details you have of the accident. This information can help them plan the best path forward.

My Child Was Hit By a Car: Now What?

Even if a medical professional looked over your child at the scene, you’ll still want to keep your primary care provider informed and potentially pay them a visit. Be sure to keep detailed records of the following to aid in your legal case and for compensation purposes:

Doctor records
Any receipts
Prescriptions
Physical Therapy records, receipts and any at home exercises and/or instructions
and other medical documents

These will help your child accident attorney get a complete and detailed understanding of your child’s road to recovery and as they advise you on the best course of action to take. Our seasoned team of child injury lawyers at Spivak & Sakellario have experience in this area, are prepared for the hurdles we’ll face together and we’re here to ensure your voices are heard. We offer free case evaluation, accessible attorneys and no legal fees unless we win. Contact us today for help if your child was hit by a car.

Keeping Your Child Safe and Safety Equipment

A study published in Injury Epidemiology revealed:

75% of all deaths that occur when a child is riding a bike are related to head injuries.

Of those, 85% could have been prevented with a correctly fitting bike helmet. There is unfortunately no way to keep your child completely safe outside, but there are many appropriate safety measures you can take.

Education

As a parent, you are always teaching your child about something. How to stay safe when playing outside should be on that list. Help your child understand things such as:

Pedestrian “basics” like how to cross a street, some areas offer a safety town or education class on how to be safe in the neighborhood
What stop signs and stoplights are for
Not to chase a ball or other toy into the street
Nighttime safety like using reflectors on their bikes

Equipment

When your child is out roller skating, skateboarding, riding a scooter, or on a bike they should be wearing a helmet. Knee and elbow pads may also be a good idea for early learners or thrill seeker kids.

Finding More Than a Child Injury Lawyer

An accident involving your child can be one of the scariest things that can happen to a family. To help your child, and family, recover you’ll want to work with an experienced child accident attorney. The legal team at Spivak & Sakellario understand the personal devastation an accident can cause. They are compassionate in their approach to each victim’s situation while aggressively advocating for their client’s best interests. Read some testimonials from past clients here. If your child got hit by a car in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or West Virginia, the experienced child accident attorneys at GSAS can help. Contact us today.

Free Consultation

Let's talk about what happened.

No cost, no pressure. Tell us what happened and we'll tell you honestly where you stand.

Get Started