When a child is hurt, everything else becomes secondary. This page covers what to do in the first days, how a child's injury claim differs from an adult's, and what to know before you talk to any insurance company.
Updated October 2026
This page is attorney advertising. It offers general information about Missouri law and is not legal or medical advice for your situation. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship, which is formed only by a written agreement signed by both you and the firm. Any case results described are specific to the facts of those cases; past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any other matter. Finney Injury Law is licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri. The full disclaimer appears at the bottom of this page.
A child's claim is not simply a smaller version of an adult's. Children heal differently, an injury at a young age can affect the rest of a life, and the rules for resolving a child's claim are different.
Parents are also often being asked to make decisions while they are in a hospital waiting room, and an insurance adjuster may call within days. Knowing a few basics first protects your child.
A settlement of a child's injury claim generally has to be reviewed and approved by a court before it is final. That protects the child, and it means a parent cannot simply sign a release and be done.
The child's own claim, covering pain, recovery, and any lasting effects, and the parents' claim for medical expenses are not always the same thing and may be handled differently. A lawyer can explain how each one applies to your family.
A child hurt as a passenger can often bring a claim against the at-fault driver, including the driver of the car the child was riding in. That can feel uncomfortable when the driver is a friend or relative, but it is usually the driver's insurance that responds.
A growing child's recovery from a fracture, head injury, or surgery can take years to understand. Settling early, before the long-term effects are known, can leave a family without resources when they appear.
In a case that was not a car accident, a daycare allowed a dangerous activity that caused a child's skull fracture and traumatic brain injury, then failed to call for help. The family's case resolved for $850,000.
Cases like it are built on what the injury will mean over the child's life, not only the first set of bills.
Past results do not guarantee a future outcome, and every case depends on its own facts. These are public-record results in cases involving injured children.
A daycare allowed a dangerous activity that caused a child's skull fracture and traumatic brain injury, then failed to call for help. Read full story →
A family's child was injured because of daycare negligence in St. Louis. Resolved for $600,000. Read full story →
An active grandmother was left with permanent chronic neck pain. The insurer blamed her age and offered $14,937. The jury returned $2.5 million. Read full story →
Follow the doctors' instructions and keep discharge papers, bills, and therapy records. Note changes in your child's behavior, sleep, school, and activities, which can show how an injury is really affecting them.
Ask the officer which agency wrote the report and for the report number. Photograph the vehicles, the car seat or booster, and your child's injuries.
If a car seat or booster was in the crash, keep it. It may need to be inspected, and replacing it is part of the claim.
An adjuster may call quickly and ask questions that sound routine. You do not have to answer them, and a signed release can end the claim.
A lawyer can explain how the child's claim and your own claim work, what court approval involves, and what the long-term outlook means for value.
Make sure your child gets medical care first, then call the police if you have not, and talk to a personal injury lawyer before you give a recorded statement or sign anything from an insurer. Finney Injury Law offers a free case review, and an attorney personally reviews every case.
In general, yes. A settlement of a child's injury claim usually has to be reviewed and approved by a court so that the child's interests are protected. A lawyer can explain how that works for your situation.
Often yes. A passenger can generally bring a claim against the at-fault driver, including the driver of the car they were in, and it is usually the driver's auto insurance that responds. A lawyer can explain how that applies to your family.
Deadlines for a child's own claim can work differently than for an adult's, but the parents' claims, such as for medical expenses, may follow different rules. Because the answer depends on the facts, do not assume you have plenty of time. Talk to a lawyer promptly.
Not before you understand the long-term outlook. An early offer comes before the lasting effects of an injury to a growing child are known, and any settlement generally needs court approval. A lawyer can tell you whether an offer is reasonable.
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and in some cases other policies such as medical payments coverage, may apply. It is worth having a lawyer read the policies early.
We handle serious injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless we recover for you. The case review is free, and an attorney personally reviews every case.
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