San Mateo Child Injury Lawyer
Your Child Can't Bring a Claim Alone. You Won't Have To Either.
A child can’t file a lawsuit or demand a settlement; a parent or guardian has to act for them. Our San Mateo child injury attorneys guide your family through every step and fight for what your child will need, not just this year but for years to come.
$75+ million
recovered for injured clients
800+ five-star reviews
on Google and Yelp
No fee
unless we win
Available 24/7
Hablamos español · 한국어 상담 가능
Standing Up for Your Child Is Hard Enough. The Legal Side Shouldn't Be.
When your child is hurt, everything else stops. You’re at appointments, rearranging work, and watching for signs that something is still wrong. Meanwhile, someone has to deal with the insurance company, and because children under 18 can’t legally represent themselves, that someone is you.
It’s an emotionally draining process and a legally complex one. Children are especially vulnerable to long-lasting, sometimes life-changing injuries, particularly in accidents involving motor vehicles, and a claim settled too quickly can leave your family paying for care years from now.
You may have a claim on your child’s behalf if:
Your child was injured in a car crash or another accident caused by an adult's carelessness
The person responsible did something irresponsible or illegal
Your child needed professional medical care for the injury
Your family faces medical bills, therapy, or lasting effects on your child's life
We’ll review your child’s situation for free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
What Parents Can Do After a Child Is Injured
Get your child a full medical evaluation.
Children can’t always describe what hurts. A prompt exam protects their health, and professional medical care is what establishes the injury in a claim.
Keep every follow-up.
Pediatric specialists, therapy, and check-ups build the record of how the injury affects your child as they grow.
Write down your child's account while it's fresh.
Especially with a teenager, the insurer may later suggest your child caused the accident. What your child and witnesses said early on matters.
Get the reports.
Ask for the police report after a crash, or an incident report if your child was hurt at a business or another family’s home.
Keep school and activity records.
Missed days, changes in grades, and sports or activities your child had to give up all show the injury’s reach.
Don't sign a release.
No settlement for a child is final without a court’s approval, and an early offer rarely reflects future care. Talk to us first.
How We Build a Child Injury Claim
Holding an adult responsible for injuring a child works the same way as holding them responsible for injuring another adult: we prove negligence. That means showing the defendant had a duty to act in a way that minimized the risk of injury, broke that duty through irresponsible or illegal conduct, and directly caused an accident that left your child needing medical care and suffering real losses.
We gather that evidence quickly and build the claim around it. Then we do what a child’s claim demands more than most: we look ahead. A child’s injury can affect their schooling, their ability to work as an adult, and their enjoyment of life for years, and we document those future effects with your child’s doctors and therapists.
We also prepare for the defense’s favorite argument in cases involving older children: that the child was partly to blame. We contest those allegations with evidence, so your child isn’t denied the full value of their losses. And when the case resolves, we prepare everything the court needs to approve the settlement.
What Your Child's Claim Should Include
A child’s claim has to account for the future as much as the present. Compensation can include:
Future medical treatment and therapy
The care your child will need as they grow, not only the bills you’ve already received.
Lost future working capacity
If the injury will limit what your child can do as an adult, the claim can reflect the earnings they may lose.
Physical and psychological suffering
Pain, fear, and the emotional effects that can follow a child long after the physical injury heals.
Lost enjoyment of life
The sports, play, and everyday experiences the injury has taken from your child’s childhood.
California Law When a Child Is Hurt
Parents or guardians act for the child
Children under 18 can’t file a lawsuit or demand a settlement themselves, so a parent or guardian takes legal action on their behalf.
The same negligence rules apply
A claim for a child’s injury is proven the same way as an adult’s: duty of care, breach, causation, and compensable losses.
Older children can be blamed
In cases involving children roughly 12 to 18, the defense may argue the child holds some comparative fault. If that succeeds, the child’s recovery is reduced, which is why we contest it.
A court must approve the settlement
California law requires a court to approve any settlement a parent or guardian reaches for a child. This is called a minor’s compromise, and it protects your child’s interests.
Protect Your Child's Claim
Your child’s claim rests on the record you build now. Follow the treatment plan and keep every appointment; gaps in care give the insurer an argument that the injury wasn’t serious.
A few habits make a real difference:
- Keep a parent’s journal. Pain, sleep, mood, nightmares, missed school, and the activities your child can no longer do.
- Save every bill and receipt. Medical care, therapy, equipment, and mileage to appointments.
- Keep the accident off social media. A photo of a good day can be used to argue your child is fine.
- Route every insurer contact through us. An adjuster may be friendly with a worried parent; they are still working to pay less.
We coordinate with your child’s medical providers so billing can wait until the case resolves.
What Our Clients Say
From start to finish Jimin has been on my case and very informative about where they are in the process of things... every time it seems like I thought about…
Dominick M.
Jimin from the start was very professional and accommodating. She came out to east bay to meet with me. We met once, she ask for the background of the incident…
Ethan Vu
Attorney Jimin Oh was really helpful with my case. She really took care of my case and I could really rely on her. She would always check up on me…
Carina Amigable
Your San Mateo Legal Team
Founding attorney Jimin Oh has handled thousands of auto accident cases and is a member of Million Dollar Trial Lawyers. She built this firm after her own husband was seriously injured in a car accident, so she knows what it’s like when someone you love is hurt and your family’s life is suddenly on hold. Every case gets an attorney, a case manager, and a treatment coordinator, so parents have a team handling the claim, the insurer, and the court while they take care of their child. San Mateo cases are handled from our San Jose office at 1253 Park Ave.
San Mateo Child Injury FAQs
Can my child file a claim on their own?
No. Children under 18 can’t legally represent themselves, file a lawsuit, or demand a settlement. A parent or guardian must take legal action on their behalf, and we guide you through it.
What is a minor's compromise?
It’s the court approval California requires for any settlement a parent or guardian reaches on a child’s behalf. It exists to protect your child, and we prepare everything the court needs.
My teenager was partly involved in causing the accident. Can they still recover?
Possibly. Defendants often argue that older children, usually between 12 and 18, share the blame. Under comparative fault, that would reduce the recovery rather than end it. We contest those allegations so your child isn’t limited to less than their losses are worth.
How is fault proven when an adult injures a child?
The same way as between adults: we show the adult had a duty to act carefully, breached it through irresponsible or illegal conduct, and caused an injury that needed medical care and led to real losses.
Why does the claim look so far ahead?
Because children are especially likely to suffer long-lasting effects, particularly from motor vehicle accidents. The claim can include future medical care and therapy, lost future working capacity, and lost enjoyment of life.
My child seems to have recovered. Should we still talk to a lawyer?
It’s worth a free conversation. Some effects of a child’s injury only show up over time, and once a settlement is approved, it generally can’t be reopened.
How long do we have to act?
Children’s claims can follow different time limits from adults’, and claims against a government entity can require action within six months. Taking prompt action is the safest course; call us so no deadline is missed.
What does hiring you cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency and are paid only if we win, as a percentage of the recovery.
Get Your Free, Confidential Case Review, 24/7
Acting promptly can make the difference between the responsible party paying for your child’s care and your family paying for it. Call now or send the form; we respond fast, 24/7, in English, Spanish, or Korean. Your consultation is free and confidential. No fee unless we win.
Call (408) 256-2871Free Case Review
Solution Now Law Firm
1253 Park Ave
San Jose, CA 95126
Hablamos español · 한국어 상담 가능
