Injuries can happen at any time and to anyone, including kids at school. The unpredictability of injuries and the countless unique scenarios that produce them are what make personal injury lawyers jobs so challenging. Today, we’ll look at an interesting civil case that reveals the importance of wide-ranging liability coverage, as well as the versatility or homeowners insurance.
In March 2015, a group of children at a Catholic school in Toronto became involved in a physical altercation that resulted in one child breaking his arm. The mother of the injured child sought out the parents of two other children involved in the altercation and informed them that she would be seeking financial compensation for her child’s medical expenses, the time she was forced to take off work, and child care expenses related to the injury. When the families failed to respond, she initiated a lawsuit against her son’s school, the principal of the school, and the Catholic school board.
According to CTV News, the ‘Ontario School Boards’ Insurance Exchange, which provides insurance coverage for the Catholic school, filed a cross-claim against the two children, arguing it is the children who should be held accountable, not the school, principal and school board.’ The children, the exchange argued, acted negligently and failed to comply with the school’s “hands off” policy.
Hiring personal injury lawyers to pursue compensation on behalf of your child is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. While a schoolyard fight is unlikely to yield significant, lasting injuries, in rare cases it may cause serious damage for which your family should be compensated.
“You have to look at the poor kid who got hurt,” a Toronto lawyer told CTV. “He broke his arm and unfortunately, sometimes these injuries don’t heal well, and this person might need physiotherapy for the rest of their lives. These are things we don’t think about because we have public health. But physiotherapy is not always covered.”
Luckily, most homeowners’ insurance policies, which mortgage providers generally require, provide basic liability coverage for injuries that policyholders – and their children – incur in and outside of the home. Individuals who rent their home can access this coverage through tenant insurance, which is fairly affordable.
If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident, contact Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers to set up a free, no-obligation consultation. Our team can help you understand your legal options and advise you of your path forward.
Photo credit: Aislinn Ritchie/Wikimedia Commons
Greg Neinstein
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