Next Steps for Parents After Their Child Suffers a Burn at Daycare

Burns are not common childhood injuries that occur from typical accidents like falling off swings or tripping on shoelaces. According to our Texas daycare injury lawyers, early childhood burns, such as those from bottle warmers, are most often associated with instances of abuse or neglect.

Different Types of Burns That Occur at Texas Daycares

Not all burn injuries are the same. Without proper supervision, policies, and procedures at daycare facilities, children may suffer from:

• Thermal burns: Thermal burns are what many of us traditionally think of as a burn injury. These types of burns happen when the skin comes into contact with something hot, such as steam, open flames, fires, a hot beverage, boiling water, a stove, a hot pan, a heater, an iron, or another hot surface or object. We commonly see children with thermal burns after bottle warmers are not properly stored at daycare. If the device tips over, boiling hot water can spill on a child and cause severe injuries. 
• Electrical burns: Electrical burns can happen when a child puts a finger, tongue, or another body part into an electrical outlet or comes into contact with a broken electrical cord.
• Radiation burns: Children often play outside while they attend daycare. However, the sun over Texas can be extremely powerful and cause severe sunburns if daycare staff do not keep the children in the shade or apply and reapply sunscreen. Babies, toddlers, and preschool children are too young to know how to seek shade or apply their own sunscreen.
• Chemical burns: Strong acids, including bleach, other cleaning products, and battery fluid, can cause chemical burns. Daycares are responsible for keeping these items away from children to prevent chemical burn injuries.

If your infant, toddler, or preschool-age child comes home with any symptoms of a burn injury, then you should seek immediate medical attention for your child.

Degrees of Daycare Burn Injuries - How Bad Is the Burn?

Burns are classified by degrees. A doctor will classify your child’s burn as one of the following:

• First-degree burn. Symptoms of first-degree burns include redness and pain. They are the mildest form of burns and only affect the top layer of skin.
• Second-degree burn. Second-degree burns affect the top layer of skin and at least part of the layer below. Symptoms include redness, blistering, swelling, and pain. The skin may open.
• Third- and fourth-degree burns. These are the most severe types of burns. They can affect all layers of the skin and the nerves. Instead of appearing red, the skin may appear white, brown, or charred. These burns can be fatal.

Treatment options will depend on the burn's severity, size, and location. Some babies and young children may require hospitalization, skin graft surgeries, antibiotics, and pain medication. Even with treatment, burns can result in permanent disfigurement and infections or cause a child’s death.

What to Do if You Notice a Burn on Your Baby, Toddler, or Preschool Child

Burns are often a medical emergency. Therefore, the first thing that you should do is get your child to a doctor or the hospital. 

After that, you need to find out how your child got burned. With the help of a Texas daycare injury law firm, you can find out if:

• A daycare worker intentionally abused your child
• The daycare lacked sufficient staff to supervise your child
• The daycare failed to comply with Texas state safety regulations
• The daycare failed to maintain a safe environment for your child

If your child was hurt by daycare abuse or negligence, our daycare injury lawyers will fight to make sure that your family recovers fair damages. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Your child’s medical bills 
• Your child’s physical pain
• Your child’s emotional suffering
• Your child’s temporary or permanent disfigurement
• Your lost income while you were caring for your child
• Any out of pocket expenses

Contact Our Daycare Burn Injury Attorneys if Your Child Gets Burned at Daycare in Texas

Our team of experienced and compassionate daycare burn injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm is dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child experiences a burn injury while in the care of a Texas daycare facility. With lawyers in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our attorneys at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.