Duties Colleges May Owe Students

As students soon head off (or return) to college for studies, worried parents across the nation will do what they can to help ensure their children are safe while at school. Preventative measures and planning can go a long way in helping protect college students from injury and victimization, but these measures cannot prevent all tragedies from occurring. When such an incident occurs – whether it is a slip and fall while going to class, a sports-related injury sustained while engaged in intramurals, or being the victim in a robbery, assault, or other crime – knowing who is responsible for causing the incident and the resulting physical and emotional injuries can be crucial in obtaining justice and compensation.

When Colleges May Be at Fault for a Personal Injury Accident 

Colleges and college administrators cannot be everywhere at one time and cannot take actions that prevent all injuries and crimes from occurring. Nonetheless, colleges and administrators do have an obligation to take reasonable preventative steps to reduce the likelihood of personal injuries and crime from impacting students. Colleges who do not take the following actions may be at risk of being sued if a student is injured:

• Keep walkways, stairways, and floors clean and free of debris that could cause slips and falls or trips;
• Install adequate lighting so that stairways and walkways are illuminated and that dangers (and dangerous individuals) can be seen at night;
• Hire and train adequate security in order to deter crime;
• Install traffic control signs and signals on college-owned property so as to reduce the chance of traffic collisions;
• Properly investigate the background of employees and faculty so as not to hire individuals who may be likely to commit criminal acts against others;
• Adequately warn students about the dangers that may be inherent in certain sports, activities, and/or classes.

In other words, just as is true in any other personal injury case, an injured student must be able to show not only that he or she was injured while at college but that the college engaged in some careless or negligent behavior that led to the student’s injuries. Unlike other personal injury cases and due to the legal relationship between colleges and their students, colleges that fail to take reasonable actions to protect their students may also be held civilly responsible.

Be Ready to Contact Your Florida Personal Injury Lawyer 

Whether you or your child is injured at home or at college, be prepared to speak with an experienced and knowledgeable Florida personal injury law firm like Roman & Roman right away. The sooner you are able to retain legal counsel to investigate the circumstances surrounding your injury, the greater the chances that your lawsuit will succeed. At Roman & Roman, we are committed to pursuing compensation for you where another’s reckless or careless actions are the cause of your or your child’s injuries. Call us today at 877-767-1032, or complete our online contact form for help.

Resource:

ncherm.org/pdfs/Journal%20of%20College%20and%20University%20Law.pdf