What Happens When Your Child Gets Injured at School?

Every so often we get questions about whether you can sue a public school in Tennessee like the Memphis City School system. It comes up in extreme cases, like when a child gets severely injured on a playground or physically abused by a teacher. The child may need long-term medical care or traumatic therapy. Normally the property where the injury happened could be held liable for some of those costs.

But when it comes to public schools, it depends.

Public schools fall under the protection of “sovereign immunity.” This means as a government authority, they can’t be sued unless the law says they can. A Tennessee law called the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act allows for some lawsuits against public schools, but not all.

According to that law, schools also have liability limits:

  • $300,000 for bodily injury or death
  • $700,000 for all persons in any one accident, and
  • $100,000 for property damage.

Public school teachers have a separate, much higher limit and generally need separate insurance. And these limits don’t apply in certain extreme situations, like sexual crimes.

Help with a Public School Injury Case

If your child has a school-related injury, you need an attorney with the experience and compassion to handle your case with care. Our Memphis personal injury attorneys have experience dealing with public schools and can help you determine the best way to proceed.

If you think you have an injury claim against a public school, there are three things you should do:

  1. Ask yourself if it’s really an injury in the legal sense. It’s not enough that a teacher gives your child a bad grade or doesn’t like a student. You need to prove serious injury or harm.
  2. Report it to the school and get medical attention. The authorities need to know what happened.
  3. Talk with one of our Memphis injury lawyers. We’ll look over your case and let you know how to move forward.

We’ve had a lot of success with school-related injuries, and we work hard to make sure you know your options. The conversation is free, so contact us today.