Children of all ages go to school, but do not remain in school the entire year. There is spring break, winter break, and the longest break — summer vacation. During these times out of school, parents are still expected to work. Therefore, they place their children in summer camps while they are away. Children go to have fun during their school breaks and even meet new people. Much like sending your children to school, when you send your children to these programs, you expect them to be safe and protected at all times. While their protection may be a priority to everyone, accidents do happen. Should an injury occur at a summer camp, someone must be held responsible.
Proving Negligence
Like any other personal injury matter, to place the responsibility on the summer camp, one must determine if the summer camp was negligent in any way. Negligence would occur when the summer camp failed to be as careful with your child as they were supposed to be. To ensure there has been negligence, a parent must prove that:
- The summer camp had a duty of care to avoid injury.
- The summer camp did not adhere to that duty.
- The summer camp’s failure to adhere led to injuries of the child.
- The injuries sustained by the child are legitimate and are severe enough to be compensated for.
No factor is more important than the other, and all must be proven to ensure the summer camp is held responsible. Children are known to be more wild during the summer months, so proving that a summer camp actually breached their duty of care may be difficult because some injuries that are caused could be out of anyone’s control. A parent’s responsibility in this case is proving that the summer camp did not do their part in ensuring the injury the child suffered could have been avoided.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
Your child jumping off of a play gym and falling and breaking their arm may not have been avoidable. However, the child slipping from a play gym due to unlevel flooring may be much different. When the staff fails to supervise properly and ensure the child’s safety during any potentially dangerous activities, the staff can be held responsible. There are several stipulations in cases such as these. Should your child suffer an injury at a summer camp, it is best to contact a personal injury attorney, like a personal injury attorney in Atlanta, GA, as soon as possible to see what legal options are available to you.
Thanks to the law office of Andrew R. Lynch for their insight into who is liable for injuries sustained at summer camp.