Injuries Suffered on A College Campus – Who Is Responsible?
For many young adults in Kentucky, the time spent at college represents some of the greatest years of their lives. Indeed, the college setting allows students the chance to expand their knowledge both in and out of the classroom, and have incredible experiences while they find a new path away from home.
In some cases, however, the college experience for a student may be rapidly interrupted by an accident on campus that leads to serious injuries. To be sure, a wide array of accidents can take place on a college campus, such as bicycle accidents, car accidents, premises liability accidents, and more. Of course, intentional injuries can be sustained as well, which are often the result of a brawl or an assault.
Sadly, it is entirely impossible to prevent many of these accidents from happening to unwitting students. That being said, if you or a loved one has been injured at school this year, it is important to understand who may have been responsible for your damages, as well as where you can turn to recover compensation.
Premises Liability and College Campuses
In general, accidents that are sustained on a college campus will fall under the umbrella of premises liability. To elaborate, premises liability is a legal theory that allows property owners to be held liable for any injuries sustained on their premises, under certain circumstances. Specifically, a property owner has a duty to provide a safe premise for guests, and to timely fix or warn of any hazards that may exist in order to prevent any accidents from occurring. Failure to do so can be used in a legal claim to recover compensation for damages.
Some of the most frequent accident types that occur on college campuses in Kentucky include slip and fall accidents and those related to other existing hazards. For example, a student may slip and fall down a set of stairs due to the presence of a faulty handrail; a professor may fall to the ground after slipping on a patch of ice; or another visitor to the campus may be injured by a falling bookcase. This is only a sample of viable claims, however; in reality, premises liability claims may involve elevator accidents, sidewalk accidents, and even injuries sustained as the result of lack of adequate security.
Filing a Claim Against the School
In the cases mentioned here, the injured parties would likely be able to file a claim to recover compensation in a personal injury claim. And, in many cases, a claim could be filed against the school itself. Generally, colleges in Kentucky hold insurance policies that will act as the source of compensation to anyone injured in a premises liability accident.
However, adequate compensation is not always guaranteed after filing a claim against a school’s insurance policy, especially without the assistance of a legal professional. In light of this, anyone who has been injured in an accident on a school campus is highly advised to reach out to a dedicated lawyer for help filing a claim.
In addition, other sources of compensation may be available to those injured in an accident on a college campus. Consider, for example, an accident in which a student was struck by a car while walking on campus. Here, the student may be able to file a claim against the school if they can show a hazard was present that led to the accident, such as a lack of adequate lighting or a faulty stoplight. Furthermore, the injured student may also be able to hold responsible the driver for negligently causing the accident.
Ultimately, by determining all potentially liable parties, an injury victim has the greatest possible chance of recovering adequate compensation. Because of this, anyone who has been hurt on a college campus is encouraged to reach out to a trained professional for assistance in this process.
Have You Been Hurt on Campus? We Can Help
If you have sustained injuries on campus here in Louisville, we can help. At the Slechter Law Firm, our skilled attorneys are available 24/7 to speak with you about your case and provide information on how to move forward. Don’t hesitate to contact our office today.