Field trips are a common way for schools to provide students with hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom. However, accidents can happen during field trips.
No parent wants to think about the possibility of their child being injured in an accident. That said, if your child is hurt on a field trip, in California, you may be able to seek compensation for medical bills and other such losses by filing a claim or lawsuit against a liable party.
To do so, you must first identify who that liable party may be. Depending on the specific circumstances of the accident, potential candidates might include:
In California, school districts have a duty to provide a safe environment for students, both on school property and during field trips. If a school district fails to provide adequate supervision or takes other actions that contribute to a child’s injury, the district may be held liable for the child’s injuries.
However, if the school district can show that it took reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the students during the field trip, it may not be liable. That doesn’t mean another party might not be held liable if your child was injured despite the school district taking all reasonable and necessary steps to optimize the safety of all students.
In some cases, a third party may be responsible for a child’s injury during a field trip. For example, if the field trip involves a visit to a museum, zoo, or amusement park, the operators of these facilities have a duty to provide a safe environment for visitors. If a child is injured due to the negligence of the facility operators, they may be held liable for the child’s injuries.
Determining who the liable party is when a child is injured on a field trip may involve accounting for exactly when and where their accident occurred.
For example, perhaps a child is injured in an accident that occurs while they are traveling to or from a field trip. In this case, the liable party may be the transportation company (such as a bus company).
Your family deserves proper compensation if your child sustained injuries while on a field trip due to the actions or carelessness of another party. Just remember that you can only secure the compensation for which you may be eligible if you accurately determine who the liable party is.
This is one of many reasons it’s wise to enlist the help of an attorney in these circumstances. A lawyer can conduct an investigation to ensure those responsible for your child’s injury are properly identified.
At Okabe & Haushalter, our Los Angeles school negligence attorneys have the experience necessary to help you pursue fair compensation if someone else’s negligence resulted in your child being hurt during what should have been a fun experience. For more information about what we can do for you, contact us online or call us at 310-430-7799.
