What Parents Need to Know About Field Trip Injuries
For many schoolchildren, few things are more exciting than a field trip. Not only do field trips allow students and teachers to get out of the classroom for a day, but visiting museums, historical sites and other student-friendly areas allow children a visual and hands-on educational experience that goes unparalleled by classroom learning.
Whether you’re a teacher, parent or chaperone, chances are the last thing on your mind is that a student will be injured or killed on a field trip. But no matter where you’ve taken students on a field trip, accidents can occur in a matter of seconds due to somebody else’s negligent behavior or careless mistake. Just ask any Houston accident lawyer or any other attorney throughout America.
How can injuries occur on field trips?
Injuries on field trips can leave parents feeling shocked, frightened, confused and even angry. That’s because when we put our children’s safety into the hands of teachers, bus drivers, chaperones and people working at the field trip site, we expect that their safety and security will be placed above all other priorities. But sometimes this is not the case.
From the moment a child boards the bus to the field trip site to the second they return to their school, a variety of different accidents can occur that lead to catastrophic injuries. Common causes of field trip accidents include the following:
- Bus accidents caused by distracted, fatigued or intoxicated bus drivers.
- Failure to monitor students by teachers, chaperones, and on-site staff.
- Dangerous premises accidents (falls from a height, child hit by falling objects).
- Lack of safety equipment or warning signs at a field trip site.
- Negligent security leads to a child’s assault or rape.
Determining who is responsible for a child’s injury during a field trip can be incredibly difficult. A variety of factors come into play that include the age of the student, location of the field trip, and the conduct of teachers, chaperones and employees of the field trip site immediately preceding the accident. For example, liability in an accident case involving kindergarten students injured in a bus accident could be much different than a case involving high school seniors visiting a potentially dangerous manufacturing plant.
What should you do if your child was injured on a field trip?
It can be hard knowing what to do after your child was injured on a field trip. You rightfully want to focus on your child’s recovery. Chances are the last thing on your mind is dealing with a school system, field trip site employee, or insurance company that wants to discuss money.
However, your child may have suffered costly injuries that last a lifetime. You might have been required to sign a waiver on your child’s permission slip releasing the school system of all liability for your accident. Even worse, you may be pressured by an insurance company to accept a fast settlement before you even know how much your child’s injuries will truly cost.
That isn’t fair. Just because an insurance company made an offer doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Just because you signed a waiver doesn’t mean an irresponsible school employee or field trip site employee shouldn’t be held responsible for his or her actions.
A lawyer can help fight to make things right for your child. Field trip accidents are complex legal matters. With the help of a lawyer, you may be able to hold negligent parties accountable for their actions and recover the compensation you and your child need – and deserve – to get back on track.