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A Nightmare Scenario: What to Do if Your Child is Injured on a Field Trip

Most adults have fond memories of taking field trips when they were a kid. As a parent, your experience could be quite different. While field trips can help give your child a unique perspective on things they are learning about in school, they are also being put in danger in a number of ways. If your child was injured on a field trip then we urge you to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation as soon as possible.

The many dangers of a school field trip

When your child is at school, they are in an environment that is familiar and in which they likely feel familiar. They are likely to stay away from traffic and to know where hazards are. They are likely closely supervised. However, field trips are generally in public places with unique potential dangers. With so many children and so much going on, teachers and chaperones are likely to have a harder time keeping track of kids. All of this could add up to equal an injury for your child.

What to do if your child is injured on a field trip

If your child is injured on a field trip then you will likely start off with one significant legal obstacle: You were likely required to sign a waiver. It is likely as well that the waiver was very broad but exempted the school from any liability. The good news is that this waiver can be overcome if the school or its employees was reckless or grossly negligent.

For example, if the school did not take even the most basic of safety precautions to prevent injury, such as having a system for keeping track of kids and did not complete a head count. If the child was then left at the site and injured in a car accident or any other type of accident then the school could potentially still be held liable despite the waiver.

If your child attends a public school then the complications can be twofold

In the event your child attends a school that is a government entity, then there are unique rules that govern whether or not you can file a personal injury lawsuit and how you can do so. For example, with a lawsuit against an individual you have two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. However, if the defendant is a government entity then that timeframe is reduced to six months. We understand all the rules governing either type of lawsuit.

The bottom line is that if your child was injured as a result of someone else acting recklessly or negligently then that person should be held accountable. If you are ready to see that his happens then we urge you to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.