ja_mageia

In Gwinnett County, Atlanta and across Georgia, injuries to children can be unnerving to the parent and emotionally scarring to a child. You do so much to keep your child safe, but a serious or fatal accident can be devastating and shake your confidence in yourself and the world. Whether a child is injured in a Gwinnett County automobile accident, truck accident, playground accident, premises liability case or is hit by a car, the fear, anxiety and trauma that the child experiences is magnified. I was in a serious auto accident when I was twelve (12) years old. I was lucky to survive. Months and even years later, though, I would still flinch when a car came to close to the one I was driving or riding in. The terror of that day has never left me, and I still bear the scars from that experience.

Typically, children's bodies are more flexible and can withstand impacts more than adults. Young children have a capacity to recover more quickly and fully than an adult who may suffer a similar injury. That's the good news.

However, child injuries in Georgia can be complicated because of the issues regarding legal competency and parental responsibility. If a child obtains a settlement of judgment in a case, any amount paid over $5,000 or $15,000 (depending on the circumstances) must be approved by the probate court of the county where the child lives. A conservator must be appointed to manage the child's money, with the supervision of the court, until the child reaches the age of 18. An alternative to a conservatorship is a "structured settlement". In a Georgia structured settlement, a third party company can arrange an annuity investment for the minor with the parent's consent.

If a child suffers an injury which results in permanent disability, the parent's role can as caretaker can extend throughout the child's lifetime, requiring sometimes an adult guardianship by the parent.