When you send your children to summer camp, you expect them to have fun. You don’t expect them to get hurt. But summer camps can also be dangerous. Common summer camp injuries include:

  • Slip and fall injuries
  • Fights
  • Bullying
  • Child sex abuse
  • Infectious diseases
  • Injuries from poorly maintained or misused camp equipment
  • Water injuries
  • Heat stroke

Do you know what to do if your child is injured while at camp? Here’s a checklist from the personal injury attorneys at Hupy and Abraham:

  • Stay calm. It’s hard not to panic when your child has been hurt, but you need to think clearly. The decisions you make now could affect your child’s future.
  • Find out where your child is and if he has received any medical care. If your child has not seen a doctor, make arrangements for your child to be taken to the nearest emergency room. Meet your child there. If your child has been taken to the emergency room, get the name of the physician who treated him and find out if he will be admitted to the hospital.
  • Find out how the injury happened. Once your child is receiving medical treatment, ask to speak to the head counselor. Keep notes about whom you spoke to and what they said. Ask that the camp director call you after your child is stabilized.
  • Ask for an accident report and witness statements. Let the head counselor or camp director know that you expect to receive a report detailing the accident as soon as possible.
  • Get copies of your child’s medical records. The medical records should include the name of the person who took your child for treatment.
  • Get copies of all medical and hospital bills. You may need them in order to be reimbursed later.
  • Find out how the accident happened. Once your child is stabilized, you can begin to investigate the accident. Find out why the accident happened and whether your child was appropriately supervised at the time. Is there anything the camp could have done to prevent the accident?
  • Contact a injury attorney. If you suspect that the accident was the result of negligence, it is a good idea to speak with a personal injury attorney with experience in Illinois child injury cases. He will help you determine if you and your child have a personal injury claim.

Accidents happen, especially when kids are around. However, camps and other summer programs have a duty to do what they can to provide a safe and child-friendly environment. When a child is injured because a camp failed in this duty, parents have a right to seek accountability. To discuss your injury claim with a personal injury lawyer, contact Hupy and Abraham at 866-532-4800. The initial consultation is free.

Jason F. Abraham
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Helping car accident and personal injury victims throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa since 1993.