Students at Johns Hopkins live and attend class on a large campus in the City of Baltimore. College campuses are often a microcosm of a city, with places to eat, housing, transportation, and other features throughout the campus. In this setting, there are thousands of ways you could potentially face accidental injuries that require medical attention or even put your life in danger.
If you or your child was injured while attending Johns Hopkins University, contact our personal injury lawyer for Johns Hopkins students injured on campus today. Rice, Murtha & Psoras represent injury victims in various types of accidents and work to get them the compensation they deserve for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. For a free legal consultation on your case, call our law offices today at (410) 694-7291.
Common Causes of Accidental Injury on College Campuses
Accidents can happen anywhere. Colleges campuses are large pieces of property owned and operated by the school, which means that the school itself is responsible for maintaining safety and security across the entire premises. Thousands of potential risk factors could lead to injuries each day. While colleges typically have most of these under control, any negligence that ends up injuring a student or a visitor to campus could result in harm.
Slip and fall injuries are one of the most common types of injuries. Walking on a slippery sidewalk in the rain or trudging across campus when snow or ice is on the ground could lead to serious injuries. If the school built its sidewalks out of dangerously slippery paving stones or if they failed to clear away snow and adequately salt the sidewalks, students may be injured.
Other “premises liability” cases are also possible on campus. “Premises liability” refers to any situation where the property owner fails to keep the property safe for guests, customers, students, or others on the premises. Dangers like loose wiring could cause people to trip and fall, exposed wiring could cause electrocution injuries, fire hazards could cause serious burn injuries, and structural issues with buildings could cause partial or total collapses.
Campus vehicles may also put students at risk of injury. If university staff uses maintenance trucks or vans, golf carts, campus shuttle buses, or other vehicles to drive staff and students around the campus, there is always a chance that one of these vehicles could hit a student. If a student is injured by a university vehicle, the University may be responsible for the driver’s negligence or for maintenance problems with the vehicle, making them liable for the accident.
Colleges provide many services including food services. If the dining hall has food safety issues, students could get sick or even die from food poisoning. Food prep staff on campus should be properly trained to prevent cross-contamination, to avoid using expired or rotten ingredients, and to keep students from being exposed to foodborne illnesses.
College athletes understand many of the risks of injury in their sports. Lacrosse players and other athletes at Johns Hopkins bring much renown to their school, but the school owes them some duties in return. Allowing student-athletes to play after injuries or failing to properly screen for injuries could put athletes at unnecessary risk for health problems and increased severity of existing injuries. Colleges need to take proper care to protect their student-athletes, and failing to do so could make them responsible for their injuries.
One other common way that people may be injured on campus is through crime and intentional harm committed by students or people coming in from off campus. These intentional acts are obviously not the school’s fault – but the school has a certain level of responsibility for securing the campus and preventing crime. If you were injured because the school provided negligent security, you may be able to sue the University for injuries.
Compensation for Injuries on the Johns Hopkins Campus in Baltimore, MD
If the University was responsible for injuries you faced on campus, you may be entitled to claim damages for your injuries. Injury victims can often claim three main areas of damages: medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages.
Medical expenses can be claimed to cover the full cost of medical care related to your injury. These costs will differ greatly depending on the severity of your injury, complications with treatment, and ongoing care needs. For instance, someone who suffers a broken bone may need immediate care to cast the break, but they could also need surgery to set the bones properly. More serious breaks may even require rehabilitation or ongoing physical therapy to get the victim back on their feet, which increase the cost of care and the damages you can claim in court. No matter what your injury is, you should be entitled to claim all related medical expenses as part of your case.
Lost wages may not apply to all students. If you are currently working while in school, you should be entitled to claim any wages you lose because of the injuries you suffered. However, even if you are not working now, you may be able to claim lost wages for the future wages the injury will cost you. If your injury prevents you from finishing your degree or gives you physical limitations, that can have a marked effect on your future wages and earning capacity. Lost earning capacity damages can be a substantial part of any injury lawsuit, especially for young adults.
Lastly, pain and suffering damages are paid to compensate you directly for your injuries. Physical pain and mental suffering do not have any receipts, billing statements, or clear financial records to indicate what these damages are worth. Instead, the court calculates pain and suffering by looking at the severity of your injury, how it affected your activities and self-care, and how it affected your enjoyment of life.
Call Our Johns Hopkins University Injury Lawyers Today
If you or a loved one was injured on campus at Johns Hopkins University, call the Baltimore injury attorneys at Rice, Murtha & Psoras today to discuss filing an injury lawsuit. Our personal injury attorneys for Johns Hopkins students injured on campus may be able to take your case and help you understand what your injuries might be worth. Call our law offices today to discuss your case and learn more about filing a personal injury lawsuit for financial compensation. Our number is (410) 694-7291.