Alcohol is almost ubiquitous in modern college culture. As a parent sending a child off to attend college, you no doubt knew about the potential risks of alcohol for your child. Chances are good that you probably tried to have a very awkward conversation with your soon-to-be college student about the potential risks of alcohol. However, you’ll have little influence on your child once they’re on campus.
From the dangers of driving drunk to issues involving consent after drinking, there are many concerns that young adults may not think of when they decide to drink. Sadly, no matter how diligent you are in regard to educating your child about social dangers, you can’t be there to make important decisions for them.
Beyond the risks of legal and educational consequences, it is possible for your child to wind up severely hurt while intoxicated. In that situation, you may need to look into who is liable for the injuries your child suffered.
Alcohol can cause all kinds of injuries, especially for new users
When people think about alcohol-related injuries, their minds almost always go first to drunk driving accidents. There is no question that alcohol contributes substantially to a large number of collisions in the United States every year.
Teaching your kid not to drive drunk only protects them from making a bad decision. It doesn’t protect them from all the other people near campus who are over indulging in alcohol and still driving. If a drunk driver hurts your child, the chances are good that you can take legal action against the driver involved. However, car crashes are not the only kind of accidents that involve alcohol.
If someone serves your child too much alcohol, your kid could wind up hurt just while walking home in Columbus. Injuries related to over-intoxication, including alcohol poisoning, which can prove fatal, may be the responsibility of the person serving the alcohol. This is particularly true in the case of someone 21 or older deciding to provide alcohol to someone who has not yet reached the legal drinking age. Younger drinkers may not know their limits.
Alcohol injuries may have lasting consequences
The injuries from a car crash can cause lifelong pain and disability. Over-intoxication can also have staggering consequences. Alcohol can cause a wide range of poisoning symptoms, from damage to the eyes and liver to actual brain damage. It can also drastically increase someone’s risks of certain kinds of cancer.
Your family may struggle to deal with the medical consequences of an alcohol-related injury, particularly if your child suffered catastrophic injuries. Sitting down with a personal injury attorney can help you explore what choices you can make to alleviate the strain an alcohol-related injury has caused your college student.