Yes - sometimes, but Hawaii cases are often worth less in your pocket than families assume.

Most people think a daycare claim means: settlement comes in, bills get paid, family gets the rest. In Hawaii, it usually works more like this: the gross settlement may look decent, but then medical reimbursements, case costs, and sometimes court approval requirements for a child's settlement cut that number down.

That matters a lot if your child was treated at The Queen's Medical Center or needed follow-up specialists on Oahu.

In a Honolulu daycare injury case, the practical math usually looks like this:

• Medical bills: If Med-QUEST or private insurance paid, they may demand repayment from the settlement.
• Case costs: Records, expert reviews, filing fees, and depositions come off the top in many cases.
• Attorney fee: Usually a contingency fee, so it comes out of the recovery, not upfront.
• Minor settlement approval: If the child is under 18, a larger settlement may need court approval in the First Circuit on Oahu, and some money may be placed in a protected account instead of handed over immediately.

The practical difference is that a claim with only one ER visit and a quick recovery may not leave much after deductions, even if the daycare was clearly careless.

A claim becomes more worth the hassle when the injury caused scarring, a fracture, ongoing therapy, future treatment, or strong proof of poor supervision - like missing staff logs, no incident report, or witnesses saying too many kids were left unattended.

Also keep the deadline in mind: Hawaii's general personal injury limit is usually 2 years under HRS § 657-7, though claims involving a minor can work differently. Waiting can make records harder to get and bills harder to sort out during tax season.