Is My Child Safe at School?
California public school enrollment has declined each of the past six years. Nevertheless, almost six million children will be at their desks when the bell rings this August. The sheer number of children and faculty, along with the aging condition of most school buildings, creates a fertile ground for injuries. Personal injuries are especially hard on children, whose bodies are still developing.
Children, regardless of ethnicity, citizenship, or anything else, have the same legal and financial rights as everyone else. These rights include the right to fair compensation after an injury. However, school districts don’t give away fair compensation, like toys on Christmas. Instead, a Carlsbad personal injury lawyer must work hard to obtain it. This hard work includes a thorough case evaluation, diligent evidence collection, and tireless advocacy.
Falls
Public schools are some of the busiest, and messiest, buildings in California. Even if the school didn’t know about a wet spot in a bathroom, a loose handrail on a staircase, or another fall hazard, the district could be liable for damages.
These damages normally include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. An Oceanside personal injury lawyer can obtain additional punitive damages as well, in some extreme cases.
In California, fall injuries include head injuries, broken bones, and other wounds that are usually permanent, at least to an extent. The duty of care, the foundation of a negligence case, is rather complex in the Golden State.
Vehicle Crashes
The school bus driver shortage is critical in many California school districts. Inexperienced drivers not only have a hard time controlling large buses on streets that weren’t designed for large vehicles. Distraction is a major issue as well.
Inexperienced drivers often over-rely on GPS navigation devices. That’s especially true if, as is usually the case, the driver must adhere to a strict schedule. Furthermore, many school bus drivers are also expected to be chaperones and safety guides.
Additionally, many school bus drivers are behind the wheel early in the morning. Most people are naturally drowsy at this time, no matter how much sleep they had the night before.
The aforementioned strict schedule often encourages school bus drivers to speed. These vehicles are so large that a few extra ticks on the speedometer could prove fatal in an accident. That’s especially true since, in most cases, passengers are unrestrained.
Poisonings
Many California public school buildings were constructed before 1980, when asbestos use was common. These microscopic fibers easily leak through hairline cracks in walls and ceilings. That’s especially true since most builders used chrysotile asbestos, a crumbly substance that breaks down quickly.
Asbestos fibers cause mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive kind of lung cancer, along with many other occupational diseases. Mesothelioma and other asbestos exposure-related diseases usually have about a fifty-year latency period. Therefore, children who are exposed to asbestos today might not know they’re sick until they reach middle age.
No matter how long ago the asbestos exposure occurred, an Oceanside personal injury lawyer can usually still obtain fair compensation for these serious injuries.
Connect with a Savvy San Diego County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Oceanside, contact the Pursley Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Golden State.
Source:
dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/public-k-12-graded-enrollment/
