Managing Partner
The CDC reports that more than 12,175 children are injured in unintentional accidents every year. Thousands more sustain injuries that have the potential to change their lives forever. Unfortunately, many of these accidents are totally avoidable. They happen due to the negligence and carelessness of others.
If your child has been harmed because of someone else’s reckless behavior, you have the right to demand compensation on your child’s behalf. Between manipulative insurance companies and complicated California laws, it can be a challenge to get your hands on the cash your child needs and deserves. That’s where the child injury attorneys at Glotzer & Leib, LLP can help.
Contact our experienced personal injury lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We’ll review your case and explain the process for recovering compensation. If you decide to file a claim, we’ll stand by your side throughout the entire process. We’ll do everything in our power to help your family during this very difficult time.
Children don’t have the power to sign contracts or give consent. This can complicate matters when a minor child is injured in an accident through little-to-no fault of their own. They may be legally entitled to compensation. However, at the same time, they can’t legally accept a settlement offer. Parents or guardians have to step in and negotiate an injury settlement on their child’s behalf.
California wants to make sure that children aren’t manipulated or taken advantage of after an accident. The state wants to ensure that injured children are fully compensated for their injuries. The state also wants to make sure that the injured child is the one who actually receives the sum of money that’s paid.
If your child is offered more than $5,000 for their injuries after an accident, you’ll have to go through a Minor’s Compromise Hearing.
The Minor’s Compromise Hearing gives a judge the opportunity to review a settlement offer that’s extended to an injured minor. They’ll determine if the offer is sufficient to cover the child’s damages, including past, present, and future expenses. If it’s approved, the settlement offer can move forward.
Once your child’s settlement is approved by a Los Angeles judge, you can’t just cash a check and move on with your life. State law requires that a settlement paid to compensate an injured minor must be deposited into a federally-insured trust account.
A trust is a special bank account that can only be accessed by certain individuals, often for very specific reasons. Putting the settlement into a trust helps to secure the award for the child until they are 18 years of age.
No. Settlement money can be withdrawn from the trust account. You’ll have to make a formal request with the court. If you can prove that you and your family have incurred legitimate expenses related to your child’s injury, the court can release a portion of the funds to you.
At Glotzer & Leib, LLP, our attorneys understand that nothing is more important to you than your children. That’s why we’re prepared to help you fight for the money your family deserves. We can help, no matter how or why your child was injured. We handle all child injury cases, including those involving:
Contact our Los Angeles law office today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your case today.
Kids can get hurt for a lot of different reasons. However, statistics gathered by the National Institute of Health (NIH) reveal the leading cause of pediatric injury in the United States.
Motor Vehicle Accidents: Car accidents are the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 5 and 19.
Drownings: Swimming pool accidents aren’t uncommon in California. Unfortunately, many of those accidents involve small children. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death of children between the ages of 1 and 4.
Falls: Falls are responsible for injuring more kids under the age of 19 than any other type of accident.
Poisonings: Every day, two children are killed because they’re accidentally exposed to a poison.
Burns: The NIH reports that more than 300 children visit the emergency room every day because of an accidental burn injury.
In California, you can seek compensation from anyone who played even the slightest role in causing your child’s injuries. In fact, it’s important to know that adults have a heightened responsibility to use care around minors and children. Anyone who is negligent might be liable for your child’s injuries.
This might include:
It’s critical to identify everyone who may have contributed to your child’s injuries and suffering. That’s why our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers will carefully investigate the circumstances surrounding your child’s accident. We’ll do our best to figure out why it happened and who might be to blame. Then we’ll demand compensation from everyone who shares fault. This can help us maximize your financial recovery.
Your child is entitled to the same damages you could’ve requested if you’d been injured in an accident. This can include money for:
Determining the value of your child’s injuries and lawsuit can be difficult. That’s because we’ll have to make predictions about how your child’s injuries will affect them in the future.
If they’ve sustained catastrophic of debilitating injuries, it’s very possible that their life will be changed forever. They may even be unable to pursue a career or interest that they’ve dedicated their life to. These are things that must be taken into consideration when valuing your child’s damages.
In order to assess the value of your child’s injury case properly, we can turn to some of the best injury and vocational experts in California for help. They can provide critical information about the more complicated and detailed aspects of the case. With their assistance, we can fight to make sure that your child is fully compensated for all of their injuries.
Adults generally have two years from the date of an accident to file a lawsuit in California. Children, however, do not have the legal ability to initiate this type of legal action. This doesn’t mean that they have to miss out on compensation if they’re a minor.
The statute of limitations is typically tolled – or paused – until the injured child turns 18. Once the injured minor is an adult, they’ll have two years to file a claim for damages.
Is your child suffering from an injury after an accident in Los Angeles? Contact the experienced legal team at Glotzer & Leib, LLP for immediate legal assistance. We’ll help you understand your rights and options.
If you decide to file an injury claim or lawsuit, we’ll do everything we can to obtain compensation on our behalf. Our goal is to make sure that your child gets the money they need and deserve after their traumatic accident.
We offer a free consultation, so call our law firm for help as soon as you can.
“Mr. Glotzer represented me after I was involved in a car accident. I was badly injured,but the insurance company refused to offer me a reasonable settlement. I decided to find an attorney and decided to hire Josh.
His law firm did a great job on my case. They were very responsive to all my questions and obtained a great resolution for me. I received way more money than was originally offered. I would recommend their firm to friends and family.”
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
“My wife was in a car accident last year and Josh did an amazing job representing her. It’s very refreshing to see someone in his profession that actually cares and puts his clients first. He’s the best in the business and I feel so fortunate that I was referred to him. Keep up the great work and thanks for everything you did for my family!”
“I was in a rear end car accident last year and hired Mr. Glotzer’s office. It wasn’t a big case but their office helped me with my property damage claim and did a good job resolving the injury portion of the case as well.”
