Tennessee Injury Law Center
Child abuse injuries resulted in 4,500 hospitalizations and 300 fatalities in just one year in the United States, researchers from Yale School of Medicine reported in the journal Pediatrics. This is the first study that has quantified abuse severity and how many children ended up in hospital, the authors added.
The researchers found that
- 4,569 kids where admitted to hospital in 2006 because of serious abuse
- 300 of them did not survive
- Those at the highest risk of being hospitalized were aged twelve months or less (58.2 per 100,000 kids compared to the average 6.2 per 100,000)
Child abuse can give rise to both criminal and civil liability. An abuser can be held liable for monetary damages for the harm caused by the abuse, including medical bills, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, lost earning capacity, and loss of enjoyment of life. Abuse so severe that it causes death of the child can also result in liability for damages.