Like in many other situations, when someone gets injured on-campus, people are most likely to blame the institution – the college or the university. It is something that parents expect when sending their children to college – if they get hurt there, the administration should take all responsibility.
But it’s rarely like that. Sure, if you get injured on-campus (or while living there), the institution will ensure that you get proper treatment and medical care if needed, but they won’t take on the blame.
As such, before looking into professional personal injury attorneys to help you recover some damages, let’s take a look at who takes responsibility for various on-campus injuries.
Injuries on the Campus’ Grounds
By definition (and law), any injury that occurs on the campus grounds is the college/university’s responsibility only if an aspect of the campus caused the injury.
In short, if the pavement has a minor flaw that results in a student’s sprained ankle, then the college is responsible. The same applies to slip-and-falls, wet floors, faulty electricity/wires, and so on.
Anything that the campus administration could and should fix/resolve can shift the blame onto them.
Injuries Caused by Negligence
However, students can get injured because of on-campus flaws, but only after they’ve been negligent. For example, if a student skates to classes and comes across a bump in the pavement, slips, and falls, then it is likely that the student will be held responsible for this.
Still, the outcome could be changed with the help of personal injury attorneys. But if the college has a rule that forbids skating on-campus, the student becomes responsible.
Drinking-Related Injuries On-Campus
According to statistics, roughly 60% of students consume alcohol on the campus’ grounds. As we all know, alcohol often ends up in various accidents. But this substance, like many others, is also forbidden on-campus. So, who would be to blame in this case?
Here, things can be a little tricky. While the primary blame will be on the student who drank on-campus, the college may be held in-part responsible for not ensuring that those entering the campus don’t have forbidden items on them.
For example, the campus dorms’ guard should take precautions to avoid students having alcohol and drugs brought into their rooms. If the college lacks such precautions, they could be liable for some accidents.
Who is to Blame?
Let’s say that a student gets attacked on-campus by a stranger whom they insulted, harassed, or even attempted to attack.
The final claim will most likely be taken against the college since they failed to enforce safety and security measures that would’ve prevented a stranger from merely walking into the campus and talking with students.
The same applies to drinking as colleges must take steps to discourage such actions, especially for underage students.
The Bottom Line
In the end, on-campus injuries are often the responsibility of the college. It is the main and only entity that must ensure that the students are completely safe and secure while on the campus grounds.
Unless the student breaks any direct laws/rules, the college will have to take responsibility for any injuries or accidents – even if only partially at fault.
