School Accidents

Phoenix School Accident Attorney

Your child leaves for school healthy and comes home hurt, or you get a call from the nurse’s office about a fall on the playground. You may be asking what the school is responsible for, whether you can hold a district accountable, and how long you have to act. Parents trust schools with their children every day, and when an injury could have been prevented, it is reasonable to look for answers.

School accidents can happen in many ways. A student slips on spilled liquid that maintenance did not clean. Playground equipment is defective or poorly maintained. A schoolyard surface is uneven. A school bus crashes on the way home. At Saavedra Law Firm, PLC, our Phoenix school accident attorneys help families across Maricopa County understand their options and pursue compensation when a child is hurt.

About Saavedra Law Firm, PLC

Saavedra Law Firm is a veteran-owned Phoenix personal injury practice led by Attorney Freddy Saavedra. We offer bilingual service in English and Spanish, have helped clients recover more than $100 million, and work on a contingency basis, so you owe no attorney fee unless we win. We will meet you at the hospital, at home, or wherever you are comfortable, and we make a point of listening to your family’s story before recommending next steps.

Who We Serve

Families reach out to us in situations such as:

• A student hurt on a playground, with falls from equipment, collapsed structures, or unsafe surfaces
• A child injured by a hazard inside the building, such as a wet floor, broken tile, torn carpet, ceiling leak, or missing handrail
• A child hurt in gym class, athletics, or a field trip where supervision or equipment was inadequate
• A student injured in a school bus accident, which also may involve the school district or a private bus contractor; see our page on bus accidents
• A child injured by another student or an employee, where inadequate supervision may be an issue
• A family who lost a child in a school-related accident and needs to understand a possible wrongful death claim

You can learn more about child injuries and school grounds traumatic brain injuries on our related pages.

Types of School Accidents

Dangerous conditions that can lead to injuries at school include broken playground equipment, defective school equipment, spills, uneven surfaces, poorly maintained flooring, ceiling leaks, broken tiles, missing handrails, cracked cement, and torn carpets. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes guidance on playground safety that schools and equipment owners can consult. Injuries can occur before school, during the day, or after hours at school events.

Children may suffer whiplash, eye injuries, cuts and lacerations, concussions, back injuries, drowning injuries, sprains, and broken bones. Parents may face costly medical bills and time away from work. In tragic cases, a child may die because of a school-related accident, including those arising out of sports, choking, air quality, or structural defects.

Some accidents are preventable. Even when they are not, teachers and administrators should be trained to respond to accidents and emergencies and to follow procedures for medical attention after an on-campus injury.

Making a Claim Against a Public School or District

If your child attends a public school, the potential defendant is generally a government entity, which means a narrower timeline and special procedures. Arizona law provides certain immunities for public entities, with exceptions. Under the Arizona Tort Claims Act, A.R.S. § 12-821.01, claims against public schools, public entities, and public employees are authorized, but a notice of claim generally must be filed in writing within 180 days after the claim accrues. The notice should describe what happened, how the injuries occurred, the facts supporting the claim, and a specific amount for which the claim can be settled. Special rules for minors can affect how deadlines work, so families should not assume they have extra time.

After the notice is filed, a family generally must wait for the school district to deny the claim, or for a set period to pass, before filing a lawsuit. A school accident attorney can help you meet these requirements.

Making a Claim Against a Private School

If your child attends a private school, you should still act promptly, although the procedures differ because a private school is not a government entity. Depending on the facts, a claim may be pursued under negligence, premises liability, or product liability. A negligence claim requires showing that the school or its employees failed to use reasonable care under the circumstances. Arizona’s pure comparative fault rule, A.R.S. § 12-2505, means that if a child shares some responsibility, the claim can still go forward with damages reduced by that share.

Compensation in a School Accident Case

If liability is established, a family may recover compensatory damages meant to put the child and family back where they would have been without the accident. Economic losses include medical bills, future treatment, lost wages for a parent who must miss work, and out-of-pocket costs. Non-economic losses include pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. The general deadline to file an injury lawsuit is two years under A.R.S. § 12-542, while claims against public entities have shorter notice requirements.

What To Do After Your Child Is Hurt at School

• Get medical attention right away and follow up with a doctor
• Take photographs of your child’s injuries and of the place where the accident happened, if you can
• Write down what your child says about what happened, in their own words
• Ask for a copy of the school’s incident report, and get names of staff and students who witnessed it
• Keep medical bills, records, and any messages from the school
• Be cautious about signing forms or giving recorded statements before you understand your options

How a School Accident Claim Works

1. Free consultation. We listen and explain what claims may be available.
2. Investigation. We gather incident reports, video, maintenance records, and witness accounts.
3. Notice of claim. For public schools, we help prepare and file the required notice on time.
4. Documentation. We collect medical and financial records that show your child’s losses.
5. Negotiation. We present the claim and seek a fair resolution with the school’s insurer.
6. Lawsuit, if needed. If the claim cannot be resolved fairly, we are prepared to file suit.

Why Choose Saavedra Law Firm, PLC?

• Veteran-owned and committed to treating every client with respect
• Bilingual service for English and Spanish-speaking families
• Direct communication with your attorney throughout the case
• More than $100 million recovered for clients, with experience against large insurers and public entities
• No fees unless we win, plus a free, no-obligation case evaluation
• Meetings where you are comfortable, including the hospital or your home

Your Child Was Hurt at School? Start With the Facts

Public school claims run on short notice deadlines, and evidence such as incident reports and video can be lost quickly. Before you sign anything from the school or its insurer, schedule a free consultation with our Phoenix school injury team and let us go through what happened and what your family’s options may be.

contact us for a free consultation