Representing California’s Injured Children in Court
California is one of the most technologically advanced and populated states in the U.S., and has more than 9,000,000 children. Sadly, despite all of California's advancements, California's children are not immune from child injury due to negligence, accidents or abuse.
If your child sustains injuries from a California injury accident, negligence or abuse, call Christopher Keane, the award-winning California child injury and child abuse lawyer at The Keane Law Firm. With decades of multimillion awards for our child injury and abuse clients and victims of negligence, and as the only nationally recognized California attorney by the prestigious Lawdragon 500 whose practice is limited to California child injury and child abuse cases, you can trust our law firm to fight for your child's maximum settlement, compensation our jury verdict.
We take cases in EVERY COUNTY in California. Whether your child's case is in San Diego or in Shasta. Or Sierra County or Sonoma. Or any of the 58 counties. We will be there to help your child.
Why hire a California Child Injury Lawyer?
Children are not tiny adults. Children's lawsuits are not like adults' cases either. Just like you wouldn't take your child to an adult primary care doctor, you should consider whether you would prefer that your child be represented by a California child injury lawyer who focuses his practice everyday on the important, critical differences of child injury and child abuse cases that will give your child the advantage he or she deserves in his or her claim, case or lawsuit. A lawyer who splits his time between all different ages of Plaintiff, which is what most of the bigger personal injury law firms do, will not be as focused on the important factors with laws, witnesses and proving childhood injury that will give your child a winning edge that is needed for successful California child injury cases.
Examples of our successful cases for injured children:
$11,043,301.40 - Verdict and judgment for paralyzed child
$7,500,000.00 - Settlement after Supreme Court win for brain-damaged child
$5,700,000.00 - Settlement after trial for deceased child
$5,000,000.00 - Settlement after truck crash for brain-damaged child and deceased mother
$4,400,000.00 - Settlement after truck crash for brain-damaged young mother and child
$4,100,000.00 - Settlement for brain-damaged child
$3,000,000.00 - Settlement for brain-damaged minor
$2,500,000.00 - Settlement for brain-damaged child
$2,250,000.00 - Settlement for brain-damaged child
$2,000,000.00 - Settlement for young woman with amputation
$1,500,000.00 - Settlement for child with amputation
Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm focus only on child injury cases. Christopher Keane is an award winning, nationally recognized trial lawyer who has recovered tens of millions of dollars for abused and injured California children, and tens of millions more for children nationwide. Our firm understands how catastrophic a California childhood injury can be, and we are dedicated to helping kids who have been hurt. For more information, or to schedule a free and confidential consultation, please contact us any time via this website or by phone.
Get an experienced and top-rated California Child Injury Lawyer to handle every aspect of the case, from the beginning all the way to the Supreme Court:
The last thing you want for your injured child is to have an inexperienced lawyer handling the case. Just like you would not want a new surgeon doing surgery on your child, you do not want a new lawyer, or paralegal, in such a position of importance. If you go to a typical personal injury law firm, the top lawyers at those firms often pass the cases down to new lawyers at the firm or to a paralegal to do the work-up on the case. That will never happen at the Keane Law Firm. If we take your child's case, you will get the top-rated California child injury lawyer whose practice is focused on child injury and abuse cases, Christopher Keane, working on every aspect of your child's case.
Unlike most attorneys, Christopher Keane has been doing everything on a case for decades: from the work-up, to trying cases and arguing appeals in state and federal court since his very first days as a lawyer in 1992. Most attorneys never try a single case, let alone multiple cases as the lead Plaintiff's lawyer - or argue appeals in state, federal or supreme courts. Christopher Keane has done all of that at a very high level, time and again, with big success for children, and against top competition for decades. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been repeatedly rated as one of the top plaintiff's lawyers in America, with the rating service noting that Keane is a "tireless advocate for injured and abused children" and "has collected seven figure wins for wrongful death, cerebral palsy, amputation and more..."
The choice is clear: have your California injured child's lawsuit handled by Christopher Keane, a nationally-recognized child injury and child abuse trial lawyer, or some general law firm for adults, which will hand it off to a new lawyer, associate or paralegal. Your child deserves the full attention of a top-rated child injury lawyer.
Common types of childhood accidents in California:
The most common types of accidents for children in California include:
* Dog bites
* Car accidents
* School Bus accidents
* Dangerous toys
* Daycare accidents
* School accidents
* Playground accidents
When you leave your child with someone else, you should be able to expect that they will take proper care of them and that they are returned safely in the same health that you left them with the other adult or company. Whether it is at another house, a friend's house, a school or a daycare, the law in California requires another person, school, daycare or company to use reasonable care in taking care of them. When others failt to treat your child safely, that results in the common types of childhood accidents listed above.
Common types of childhood injuries in California:
In California, the most common type of childhood injury associated with the types of accidents, or causes of injury listed above, include the following:
* Broken bones (also known as fractured bones)
* Traumatic brain injury
* Concussion
* Burns
* Lacerations
* Cuts (also known as lacerations)
* Bites
* Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (also known as PTSD)
* Wrongful death
Some Facts About California Childhood Injuries
Children in California are more vulnerable to injury than adults for a variety of reasons. First, children do not have the maturity and experience that adults have, and they have not yet developed the “common sense” to avoid dangerous situations. Children truly depend on adults to provide them with a safe environment, and as adults we depend on safe products and services from the providers and companies we use. Second, the musculoskeletal system of a child is not fully developed, and a traumatic event that would only result in a mild injury to a fully-grown adult can be catastrophic to a child. Third, quite simply children are small. Because of their body mass, they simply cannot handle the same amount of force as an adult.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle accidents are by far the leading cause of injury and death for children in the United States. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 4 children die and 556 are injured each day because of motor vehicle crashes. Water accidents, accidental poisoning, fires, and playground injuries are also surprisingly common. In fact, the CDC estimates that over 200,000 children visit emergency rooms in the United States every year because of an accident on a playground, and for every child that drowns, three are treated for non-fatal water submersion related injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are also common in children, and can be caused by a penetrating head injury or simply a blow or jolt to the head. TBIs in children result in over 435,000 visits to the emergency room each year, and approximately 37,000 hospitalizations.
California child injury laws:
Every time someone injures a child in California, you as a parent or guardian are correct to question whether the person who caused the injury has broken a law or violated a duty owed to the child. When some breaks a law, or a duty to use reasonable care towards a child, this is what is known as negligence. If someone has negligently or intentionally injured a child in California, we can help that injured child. Here are a few questions to frequent questions we receive about California child injury cases:
What is the time limit (statute of limitations) for accident claims in California for a child?
The statute of limitations is the legal deadling or time limit by which an accident victim must file a lawsuit with the court. In California, a person has two (2) years to file a lawsuit for a personal injury, if the defendant is a private person or company. That time limit does not begin to start for a child until the child's 18th birthday - so they would have until their 20th birthday to file their accident lawsuit. There are shorter time limits for government claims (6 months against California state law cases, and 2 years for claims against the federal government). Also, there are different, much shorter time limits for medical malpractice cases. Time limits can be complicated, so you should contact us and we will be happy to tell you the exact time limit that applies to your child's case.
How does someone prove negligence in a California child injury lawsuit?
As California child injury lawyers, we use standards which we know about and which are applicable in the particular type of accident to prove that a person violated a duty or law. In a daycare injury case, there are state regulations for child care providers. In a car accident case, there are driving laws. In a school accident case, there are school safety rules. We then use the facts which are available about the accident - from witnesses, photos or videos - and we apply those facts to the standards or laws.
How do we pay for your law firm to represent our child?
The good news is it is free to you as parents to hire us to represent your child. At the end of a case, when it is settled or won at trial, the Court will approve a contingent fee (usually a percentage of the settlement or verdict). If the case is not won, then your child owes us nothing.
Can I represent my child on my own, without a lawyer?
The short answer is no, you need a lawyer. The state of California has specific laws in place regarding representation of children. The court will require a child to not only have a guardian ad litem (which is just a word for adult representative) to act on the child's behalf and sign papers, but also the guardian ad litem must have an attorney. Christopher Keane can help you understand these laws after a child injury in California . Protect your child's rights by retaining a top-rated attorney with experience and knowledge you can trust in California child injury cases.
What types of compensation can my injured child get in California?
The California child injury lawyer, Christopher Keane, can get your injured child money for his or her:
* medical bills (past and future)
* pain and suffering
* disfigurement (scarring)
* loss fo enjoyment of life
* emotional distress, grief and anxiety
* future lost wages or earning capacity
Each child's case is different, and each settlement or jury verdict is different, but because of Christopher Keane's experience with child injury cases nationwide and in California, you will receive top-level, honest information about your child's injuries and potential compensation.
What do I do with my child's injury settlement in California?
First, for every child injury lawsuit in California, court approval is required. This is called a minor's compromise in California. Our law firm handles these routinely, and we can handle your child's minors compromise approval process.
Second, the money your child obtains is held for her or his benefit in one of several types of investments:
* Special Needs Trust, if your child needs to maintain eligibility for public benefits.
* Blocked Account, if the amount of money is small and you need to simply secure it for when the child turns 18.
* 529 Accounts, if you want to invest it for the child's college years.
* Structured settlements, if you want to spread your child's payment out over many years
You can also ask the Court to give you access to the money to use for things related to the child's injury now! Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm have handled every possible kind of distribution of children's settlements and verdicts, and can help you set up your
What to do after your child is injured in California?
After your child is injured, it is important to contact a California child injury lawyer as soon as possible. The reason for this is to give your child the advantage of having our law firm secure witness statements, take critical photographs and video and otherwise begin to gather evidence that can disappear or become lost to memory after time passes. You can call our firm, toll-free (888-592-KIDS) or use our confidential intake form, 24 hours a day. We will begin to work on your child's case as soon as we are retained. And remember, it will cost you or your child nothing to retain us. The Court will approve a contingent fee only when the case is won.
Contact a California Child Injury Lawyer for free right now
California child injury lawyers are available to help if you know a child who has been injured. The Keane Law Firm has been recognized as having an AV rating - the highest legal ability and ethics rating available, and Christopher Keane has been rated as one of the leading plaintiff's lawyers and attorneys in America as a "tireless advocate for injured children". Contact him today to see if he can help your child. GIve your child the advantage of having one of the highest rated attorneys in America fighting for him or her in Court.
The Keane Law Firm
548 Market Street, No. 23851
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone:(415) 742-5412
Fax:(415) 520-2282
Toll Free:(888) 592-KIDS
E-mail: [email protected]