Can A New Haven Slip And Fall Accident Happen At School?

With most kids back at school now it is important to understand safety at their school. As parents, you send your kids off each day with the expectation that they will return home safely and without incident. However, just like any other public building a school can have situations that arise that may lead to a New Haven slip and fall accident.

Depending on the age of the child it can actually be quite common for a child to slip and fall while at school. Sometimes, with younger kids, it can be on the playground or in line to go to the lunch room. These types of incidents are generally minor and can be addressed by the school nurse and wouldn’t require much further action. With that being said, there are other incidents that could lead to serious injuries and require a good amount of follow up.

With older kids you may want to equip them with the information and tools that they need to take action after they have slipped and injured themselves at school. First, it is important to let them know that people have accidents like this all the time so they shouldn’t be embarrassed by the incident. Tell this to a middle schooler and you might get an eye roll, but it is so critical for them to have this understanding so they don’t ignore the seriousness of the issue. If your child knows that, while a fall may be embarrassing, they should not ignore it, they can then take the necessary actions to address what happened and make sure their situation is taken care of safely.

If your child has an incident at the school it should be treated very similarly to an incident that may occur at a grocery store or the local mall. Taking a few simple actions will make sure that the injury doesn’t get worse and that any issues that arise from the injury are addressed and those who should be held accountable are held accountable for the injury. You should instruct your child to take the following steps if she/he has a fall incident at school.

1.) Report the incident immediately. Your child should find the nearest adult and let them know what has happened. If your child is not physically able to move from the location that she/he was hurt at, a friend can go report the incident to make sure an adult is notified immediately. If the incident goes unreported it can be really challenging to report the incident at a later date after the day has moved on to the next situation that needs attention.

2.) Seek medical attention. If your child has been injured in the incident she/he should seek medical attention immediately. The school nurse will work for this in each incident, but she/he may need to call in outside medical professionals to address more serious injuries. In the event that an ambulance is needed to bring your child to a nearby medical center, she/he should request that you are notified and brought to the scene or to the medical center. While the child should not have to make this request as the school should contact your immediately, if they don’t, your child should absolutely request this to make sure you are involved as soon as possible.

3.) Document the incident. If your child is physically able to document the scene where the fall happened she/he should do that. Photographic evidence is quite powerful, especially if it is taken at the time of the incident. If the child is not physically able to document the scene she/he should ask a friend or classmate to take some photos and some notes about the surroundings that led to the incident. Now that everyone has a camera on their phone it should be quite easy to gather this evidence and maintain it for future resolution of the issue.

A good school community will not only work to make sure that the surroundings of the school are safe and these types of situations are limited. However, even a good school community will have incidents throughout the school year. Many schools have hundreds of students at the school and it is unrealistic to think that a New Haven slip and fall accident will not happen at some time throughout the school year. It is important that you equip your child with the knowledge of what they should do in the event that an incident were to happen to her/him.

When an incident like this happens it can be quite complicated. You would not be dealing with a private entity, but rather a public entity which may have certain protections under the law. It will be important that you have the support of an experienced attorney to review your situation and speak clearly to the protections that the school may have. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.