When you need a Scranton child injury lawyer, it often means your family is facing one of the most difficult moments imaginable. Medical bills pile up, work schedules are upended, and underneath it all is the fear that your child may carry the effects of this injury for years to come.
You should not have to face this alone, nor should you have to figure out the legal system on your own. Munley Law has been fighting for injured children and their families in Scranton and across Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1959. We know how these cases work, what your child’s future may require, and how to hold the people responsible fully accountable.
If your child was injured in Scranton or anywhere in Northeastern Pennsylvania, contact a personal injury lawyer at Munley Law today for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case.
Call Us At 844-686-5397 Types of Child Injury Cases We Handle in Scranton
In Pennsylvania, injuries are the leading cause of death among children between 1 and 21 years of age, and are caused by numerous factors, including: 
- Car and truck accidents
- Defective products
- Slip and fall accidents
- Playground and school injuries
- Animal attacks
- Drowning accidents
- Birth injuries
- Daycare, school, and institutional negligence
Many of these injuries happen in the places Scranton children spend their days: on the playgrounds and at the pool at Nay Aug Park, in school buildings and on buses across the Scranton, Abington Heights, Riverside, and Dunmore districts, in daycare facilities, and on the roads and sidewalks of Lackawanna County during our long winters, when ice and early darkness raise the danger for young pedestrians and sledders.
The legal path forward depends on how, where, and why the injury occurred. Munley Law handles the full range of child injury cases in Scranton and throughout Lackawanna County.
Why Are Child Injury Cases Legally Different in Pennsylvania?
A child injury case is not simply a smaller version of an adult personal injury case. Pennsylvania law treats injuries to minors differently in several important ways. Understanding those differences can have a major impact on your family’s outcome.
Children Cannot File Their Own Lawsuits
Under Pennsylvania law, a minor must be represented by a parent or legal guardian in any personal injury lawsuit. That parent or guardian makes legal decisions in consultation with the attorney and is responsible for directing the case on the child’s behalf.
All Minor Settlements Must Be Court-Approved
In Pennsylvania, any settlement of a personal injury claim involving a minor must be reviewed and approved by a judge. For Scranton families, that approval takes place at the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas in downtown Scranton.
A judge reviews the proposed settlement to confirm it is fair, given the long-term nature of your child’s injuries, and to make sure the funds are protected for your child. Most families do not know this step exists.
Munley Law prepares and files the petition and handles the approval hearing for you, so nothing is missed. Our office on Penn Avenue sits just blocks from the courthouse where these matters are heard.
Pennsylvania Recognizes That Children Are Not Adults
The law acknowledges that children cannot be held to the same standard of conduct as adults. In Pennsylvania, a child under the age of 7 cannot be found negligent at all. Older children are held to a standard appropriate to their age and maturity, which means attempts to shift blame onto an injured child are much harder to make stick.
The Full Extent of a Child’s Injuries May Take Years to Emerge
A traumatic injury to a developing child can affect growth, learning, behavior, and long-term health in ways that are not immediately apparent. Children seriously hurt in the Scranton area are typically treated first in a local emergency room, with the most severe pediatric trauma transferred to a regional children’s hospital like Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville.
When Munley Law evaluates a child injury case, we work with your child’s treating providers and with independent medical and developmental experts to project the full scope of your child’s future needs, not just the bills that exist today.
How Long Do You Have to File a Child Injury Claim in Pennsylvania?
This is one of the most important questions families ask about their case. The answer has two parts that parents must both understand. This is what you need to know about deadlines for child injury cases in Pennsylvania:
For most personal injury cases in Pennsylvania, the standard statute of limitations (42 Pa. C.S.A. § 5524(2)) is two years from the date of the injury. However, for injured children, the law works differently.
In cases involving minors, the two-year clock does not start running until the child turns 18. That means an injured child generally has until their 20th birthday to file a personal injury lawsuit, regardless of how old they were when the injury occurred.
However, there is an important exception that many families are unaware of. The parents’ separate claim for medical expenses they have already paid on the child’s behalf is still subject to the standard two-year deadline from the date of the injury. That deadline does not pause for the child’s age. If parents wait too long, they may lose the right to recover the costs they personally absorbed.
Even with the extended deadline that protects the child’s claim, waiting is never a good idea. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, witnesses forget details, physical evidence disappears, and medical records become harder to obtain. The strongest cases are built quickly. So, even if you believe you have time, do not wait. The sooner our team begins investigating, the stronger your child’s case will be.
What Compensation Can a Child Injury Claim Recover?
When a child is seriously hurt because of someone else’s negligence, the financial impact on a family can be enormous. Unfortunately, the financial stress does not stop when the hospital bill arrives.
A successful child injury claim in Pennsylvania can recover:
- Current and future medical expenses (emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, diagnostic testing, physical therapy, and ongoing treatment).
- Pain and suffering.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity (for parents who must reduce work hours or leave a job entirely to care for an injured child).
- Long-term disability.
Our child injury lawyers will fight to make sure every dollar your child is entitled to is pursued.
Can I File a Claim If My Child Was Injured At School Or Daycare In Scranton?
Yes. Schools, daycares, and other institutions that care for children have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions and provide adequate supervision. When they fail that duty and a child is hurt, the institution, and sometimes the individuals involved, can be held responsible.
How the claim works depends on whether the institution is public or private. A claim against a public school district, such as the Scranton School District, Abington Heights, Riverside, or Dunmore, falls under Pennsylvania’s Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act. That law requires written notice of the claim within six months of the injury, far sooner than the extended deadline that otherwise protects a child’s case, and it places special limits on what can be recovered against a government entity. A claim against a private daycare or private school is handled under ordinary negligence rules.
Because that six-month notice deadline can quietly end an otherwise valid claim against a public school, this is one of the biggest reasons to speak with an experienced Scranton child injury attorney quickly.
Why Scranton Families Choose Munley Law for Child Injury Cases
There are personal injury law firms, and then there are firms that have spent decades earning the community they serve’s trust. Munley Law is the latter. 
Deep Roots in Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania
Munley Law was founded in Scranton in 1959. This is not a regional satellite office of a national firm. It is a firm built by people from this community, for this community, working from the same Penn Avenue office in downtown Scranton for decades. We have represented families across Lackawanna County for generations, and we take our reputation here seriously.
Board-Certified Legal Excellence
Munley Law has three attorneys board-certified in trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. We are among the few firms in Pennsylvania with that designation. When your child’s future is on the line, that level of expertise is not a detail. It is everything.
A Track Record That Speaks for Itself
Munley Law has secured significant verdicts and settlements for injured children and their families throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. We do not settle for less than what our clients deserve, and insurance companies know it.
No Fee Unless We Win
Families pay nothing to hire Munley Law. Our child injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid when we recover compensation for your family. Your free consultation costs nothing, and there is no financial risk in calling us.
Your Family Works Directly With Our Attorneys
At Munley Law, child injury cases receive the personal attention they deserve. You will work directly with experienced attorneys, not be handed off to a case manager or paralegal. We keep families informed at every stage and treat every case with the urgency a child’s future demands.
Scranton Child Injury Cases Frequently Asked Questions
Who Can File a Lawsuit On Behalf Of An Injured Child?
A parent or legal guardian files the lawsuit on the child’s behalf. Under Pennsylvania law, minors cannot initiate or control their own legal claims. The parent or guardian works directly with the attorney, makes legal decisions, and directs the case in the child’s best interest. In some situations, the court may also appoint a guardian ad litem.
A guardian ad litem is an independent representative whose sole role is to protect the child’s interests throughout the legal process.
What If My Child Was Partially At Fault For The Accident?
Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which means that even if your child shares some responsibility for the accident, your family may still be able to recover compensation as long as the other party was more at fault. Additionally, as noted above, a child under 7 cannot be found negligent at all under Pennsylvania law, and older children are held to a reduced standard.
Does a Child Injury Settlement Have To Go To Court?
Yes. Any settlement involving a minor must be reviewed and approved by a Pennsylvania judge. This is legal protection for the child, ensuring a fair settlement and that the funds are properly handled. The process is not adversarial; it is a formal review.
What Should I Do Immediately After My Child Is Injured Due To Someone’s Negligence?
If your child is injured due to someone else’s negligence:
- Seek medical attention immediately, even if the injury seems minor. Some injuries, especially head trauma, do not show full symptoms right away.
- Document everything you can: photographs of the scene, the hazard or vehicle involved, and your child’s visible injuries.
- Collect names and contact information for any witnesses.
- Do not give recorded statements to any insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney.
- Contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Early action protects evidence and strengthens your child’s case.
Your Child Deserves Justice, and Munley Law Is Ready to Fight for It
A serious injury changes a child’s life in ways that go far beyond the immediate crisis. The decisions made in the weeks following an injury can impact the outcome of your child’s case and, ultimately, the resources available to support their future.
Munley Law has been standing up for injured children and their families in Scranton and across Northeastern Pennsylvania for nearly seven decades. We bring board-certified legal expertise, deep local knowledge, and a genuine commitment to every family we represent.
Contact Munley Law today. A Scranton child injury lawyer is ready to listen, answer your questions, and fight for your child’s future.
Caroline Munley
Caroline Munley is an experienced and award-winning personal injury lawyer and is a board-certified workers’ compensation specialist. Since 2018, she’s been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Personal Injury Plaintiffs; Workers’ Compensation Claimants, Northeastern PA), Lawdragon, and has been a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2022. A member of the International Society of Barristers, Caroline has won millions of dollars for car accident, commercial truck crash, and workplace injury victims.
