UK solicitor explains how to claim compensation from a school for inappropriate and dangerous seating causing injuries to young children, such as cuts and scar injuries to the head.
Parent of school accident victim question
My son is age 5 and was running in the playground in his school in Glasgow in Scotland with some friends. He tripped and banged his head on the corner of a metal bench which was on the playground. On examination the metal bench was badly corroded such that the corners of the bench were sharp. It was this sharp edge which cut my son.
He was assisted by a teacher, I was called and he was taken to hospital.
His cut was very deep and required stitches and I have been told that he will be left with a 5 inch long scar.
Is it possible to claim compensation from the school?
School accident solicitor response
Your son is extremely young and as such it is foreseeable that such young children will trip and bang in to objects in the playground. It seems that the children were allowed to run around by the teachers, which in itself is not negligent by the school so long as the play area is safe, but clearly any seating or other objects in the playground should not pose a danger to the children.
It appears that the bench was defective and sharp at the edge, so the school could therefore be considered to be negligent in allowing such a bench to remain in the playground. It is entirely foreseeable that a sharp edge could cut a child in the manner suffered by your son.
To determine how much compensation your son can claim for the scarring – an independent report from a plastic surgeon is necessary, such report should be commissioned by a specialist school accident solicitor on your behalf.
The plastic surgeon will look at the extent of the scarring, whether it is raised (hypertrophic), is more visible in the cold or the heat, whether it causes irritation and whether it will improve with time.
Based upon this report your solicitor will be able to determine how much compensation your son should be entitled to claim. Click scarring accident claim to see the amount of compensation you can expect for a scarring injury.
In addition, as your son is a child under the age of 18 years – he is considered a minor in the eyes of the law requiring a barrister’s opinion to confirm the correct amount of compensation has been offered.
If the school settles your claim – the court must be involved to authorise the settlement and will retain the monies on your son’s behalf to be invested in the court’s fund office until the child reaches the age of 18 years.
School Accident Solicitor Online Legal Help
Should you wish to proceed with making the claim click child claim solicitor and I will assess your claim online or call you back free of charge to discuss your son’s accident claim.
