Has Your Child Been Injured in a Car Accident? You May Be Owed Compensation

When a child is injured in a car accident, the stakes are higher than they are in most adult cases. Children’s bodies are still developing, which means an injury that might be manageable for an adult can have far-reaching consequences for a child’s growth, development, and long-term quality of life. If your son or daughter was hurt in a crash caused by someone else’s negligence, an experienced car accident lawyer can make sure every injury — including future impacts that haven’t fully materialized yet — is accounted for in the damages calculation.

The legal process for injured children in Texas has some important differences from adult claims. Parents and guardians need to understand those differences to protect their child’s rights fully. Our car accident lawyers handle cases involving injured minors regularly and know how to build claims that reflect the true long-term cost of a serious childhood injury.

One of the most important things a parent can do after a child is hurt in a crash is speak with an attorney as early as possible. Evidence deteriorates, witnesses become harder to locate, and the insurance company on the other side is already working to limit its exposure. Get your child’s claim in the hands of an experienced legal team early.

What Families of Injured Children Need to Know About Texas Law

What Damages Can an Injured Child Recover?

Under Texas law, an injured child is entitled to the same categories of damages as an injured adult. These fall into two broad groups — general damages and special damages. General damages are subjective in nature and can vary considerably depending on the facts of the case. They include pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, physical impairment, and disfigurement. For children, these categories carry particular weight — a disfiguring injury or a permanent disability affects decades of life, relationships, opportunities, and self-image in ways that are difficult to fully quantify but absolutely must be reflected in any settlement or verdict.

Special damages are more concrete and tied to specific financial losses. They include medical expenses, future medical care and rehabilitation, property damage, and court costs. Lost wages and loss of earning capacity are also recoverable, though in a child’s case they work differently. A minor cannot pursue a lost wages claim until they turn 18, at which point the claim for diminished future earning capacity — if the injury limits their ability to work — can be pursued fully. These future economic losses are often among the most significant components of a serious child injury case.

Texas Statute of Limitations for Injured Minors

Most adults in Texas have two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Minor children are treated differently under Texas law. The statute of limitations for a child does not begin to run until the child turns 18 — meaning a child has until their 20th birthday to file a claim, regardless of how old they were when the accident occurred. The same extension applies when a minor child is filing a wrongful death claim for the death of a parent.

This extension exists to protect children who were entirely dependent on a parent or guardian to act on their behalf. Without it, a child could lose the right to compensation simply because the adult responsible for filing never did so. The law prevents that outcome by resetting the clock when the child reaches adulthood.

Other Exceptions to the Statute of Limitations

Beyond the minor child extension, Texas law recognizes a handful of other situations where the statute of limitations may be tolled or extended. If the defendant deliberately concealed their role in causing the accident or death, the limitations period may not begin running until the concealment is discovered. If the plaintiff suffered a physical or mental incapacity that prevented them from filing within the standard window, the statute may be extended to accommodate that situation. For example, if a parent involved in the same crash that killed their child was left in a coma for several years, the limitations period would likely be extended because that parent was incapacitated and could not pursue a wrongful death claim. An experienced injury attorney can review the specific facts of your case and identify whether any exceptions apply.

Why Child Injury Cases Require Specialized Attention

Valuing a child’s injury claim requires a different approach than a standard adult case. Pediatric injuries need to be evaluated not just for their current impact but for how they will affect the child’s development, education, future earnings, and overall life trajectory. Medical experts who specialize in pediatric care, vocational experts, and life care planners may all play a role in building a complete picture of the damages. Insurance companies know this and will push back hard — which is exactly why having a skilled legal team in your corner from the start matters so much.

Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers Today

Your family deserves to be treated with compassion and fought for with skill. At