How A Parent In Ontario Should Respond If A Son Or Daughter Gets Injured At School?

No parent likes to hear that a son or daughter has misbehaved at school, or has received failing grades on a series of tests and assignments. Still, a worse nightmare could become a reality if parents hear that their child was injured at school. An institution of learning is responsible for all accidents involving students, regardless of where the accident may have taken place. If a school bus collides with another vehicle, and some of the young riders get injured, the school can be held responsible.

If students get taken to a dangerous location during a field trip, and a student gets hurt, the parents can place the blame on the school. That rule applies to all types of trips, including those that might be part of a service-learning experience. If a school’s playground equipment gets old, and it is not replaced, thus allowing an accident to take place, the parents of any child injured can blame the school’s failure to buy equipment for their child’s medical problems. Schools are supposed to keep any one student from bullying the others in a classroom, on a playground, or anywhere else on the campus grounds.

What must be proven, if parents want to hold an institution of learning accountable for the occurrence of a particular accident?

• Prove that the same institution failed to uphold its standard of duty, regarding the child’s protection from harm.
• Prove that the student affected by the accident suffered an injury or a loss.
• Prove that the student’s injury or loss was caused by the school’s failure to uphold its duty of care.

How a lawyer might play a part in producing that 3rd proof?

If the child suffered a serious injury, he or she might lose lots of time at school. That could result in poor grades, and possibly the need to repeat a grade. That would delay the time when the child could graduate and start earning a living. A Personal Injury Lawyer in Barrie could explain how that counted as a loss.

The amount of money received on a regular basis by the child’s family might be affected. It could be that the parent would need to take time off from work, in order to transport the child to various appointments. If the employer did not offer paid sick time, or the parent had used up all available vacation time, each trip might result in a lowering of the parent’s income.

A lawyer’s assistance might make it easier to prove that the conditions that existed at the site of a field trip increased the chances for an accident’s occurrence. That assistance could prove quite useful, if a class of older students had taken part in a planned, service-learning experience.