New Port Richey School Injury Attorney
Parents live in fear of receiving a phone call from school informing them that their child has been injured. Hundreds of parents live out this nightmare each year. If your child was hurt at school or during a sporting event, call Wendy Doyle-Palumbo. Our firm knows how to make claims against public and private schools. This is a complicated area of law, with detailed requirements, so call a New Port Richey school injury attorney as soon as possible.
Suing a Public School vs. a Private School
Children can be injured at school in a variety of ways. Often, the school is to blame, because they did not maintain the school premises by fixing hazards, or a defective product on the school injured your child. Some accidents include:
- Falling off playground equipment
- Slipping and falling due to a hazard on the floor
- Wandering away from school due to teacher neglect or understaffing
- Being attacked by another student
- Molestation by a teacher or other staff member
- Injury in an athletic contest
If your child attends private school, then suing the school is not much different than suing any other business. They owe your child a duty of care, and you might hold them responsible for negligence. A classic example is a school which does not have sufficient teachers or aides to watch students, so one wanders from school or children attack each other.
Suing a public school is different and more complicated. The state of Florida has sovereign immunity, which means it cannot be sued. This immunity extends to municipalities, including school districts.
Helpfully, Florida has created exceptions to the rule of sovereign immunity, and you might be able to bring a claim for a school related injury. However, tight deadlines apply when bringing a claim against a school. Typically, you must provide notice of the injury to the agency or department.
The state also caps the amount of compensation you can receive when suing the government (including a school district). Call our office to learn more. You should hire a lawyer who is familiar with the rules regarding suing the state. You do not want to miss any critical deadlines and should know how much you can receive, at most.
Call Us Today for Help Protecting Your Children
Children deserve to feel safe in school, and both public and private institutions should run their schools in such a way as to minimize injuries and accidents. Contact our office if your child was injured at school or during an athletic contest. We can investigate to see if you can maintain an injury claim. Attorney Doyle-Palumbo can also negotiate on behalf of injured children and their families for a settlement that covers medical expenses, pain, mental distress, and more.
During this difficult time, it is critical that families stick together. To help focus on your child’s health, hire a law firm to handle the legal issues. You can schedule a consultation with our New Port Richey school injury lawyer Wendy Doyle-Palumbo, PA.