Common Summer Injuries That Give Rise to Lawsuits

 Posted on May 22, 2025 in Personal Injury

Summer in Illinois brings sun, festivals, and family adventures. But it is also a time of increased preventable injuries. As children race across wet pool decks or people drive off-road vehicles without helmets, the potential for accidents can escalate quickly. When those accidents are caused by someone else’s carelessness, they are not just misfortunes. They may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.

Not every injury leads to legal action, but when someone’s negligence directly causes harm, the law may offer a path to recovery. If you want to know more, you can talk to our Cook County, IL personal injury lawyer in a free consultation.

How Do Serious Summer Injuries Happen?

Some of the most common summer injury claims arise in environments where adults are assumed to be paying attention but often are not:

• Private or public swimming pools without proper fencing, supervision, or safety equipment

• Boating accidents caused by intoxicated or unlicensed drivers

• ATV or 4-wheeler crashes, often involving children or inexperienced operators

• Trampoline or bounce house injuries at home parties or other summer events

• Playground injuries linked to poor maintenance or defective equipment

• Fireworks accidents, both from professional displays and backyard mishandling

These activities may seem ordinary, even wholesome. But when a child ends up in the emergency room with a broken bone or a head injury, it becomes clear how much was at stake. And when an adult — a property owner, business operator, or supervisor — fails to follow safety protocols, the responsibility for that injury may not fall on the victim’s family. 

What Makes an Injury Eligible for a Lawsuit?

For a summer injury to give rise to a personal injury claim, three elements must be present:

• The other party had a duty of care: to maintain a safe environment, supervise participants, or follow the law.

• That duty was breached through action or inaction.

• The breach directly caused injury and resulting damages (medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering).

In many cases, Illinois law recognizes a heightened duty of care when children are involved. Property owners are expected to take extra precautions when children are likely to access a hazardous area, even if the children are technically trespassing.

This legal principle, known as the "attractive nuisance" doctrine, applies to pools, construction sites, trampolines, and other features that may draw children in but pose significant danger.

What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do? 

After an injury, families are often overwhelmed by medical appointments, insurance paperwork, and emotional stress. It is easy to delay legal action, but evidence fades, memories blur, and liability becomes harder to prove with time.

A personal injury lawyer will investigate what happened, identify responsible parties, and pursue compensation so your family is not left bearing the cost of someone else’s mistake.

Contact an Orland Park, IL Personal Injury Attorney Today

Whether your child was injured on a 4-wheeler, at a public pool, or during a summer party gone wrong, a Cook County, IL personal injury lawyer at Law Office of J. Francis Barker, P.C. can help. Call 708-321-1223 today for a free consultation. No case is too big or too small; if someone’s negligence caused harm, we are here to fight for you.