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EL SEGUNDO, CA – According to NBC News, a 23-month-old child suffered a traumatic brain injury after an employee at a fitness club's childcare center threw him into the air and failed to catch him.
A toddler should never suffer a traumatic brain injury during what was supposed to be routine childcare.
Parents trust childcare providers to supervise young children, make safe decisions, and respond honestly if something goes wrong. Incidents like this raise difficult questions about supervision, communication, and the responsibility caregivers have to protect the children entrusted to them.
The Button Law Firm (BLF) is not involved in this specific case. However, we represent kids in daycare and child injury cases to help them get life-changing results and justice against bad daycares, schools, and companies that abuse and neglect the safety of children.
Although this incident occurred in California, the concerns it raises reach far beyond one state. Whenever a child is seriously injured while under someone else's supervision, families deserve honest answers, transparency, and accountability.
What NBC News Reported
NBC News reported that the child was attending the childcare center at The Bay Club in El Segundo while his father was using another Bay Club location nearby.
According to NBC News, surveillance video shows a childcare employee swinging the toddler before throwing him over her head. The report states the employee failed to catch him, causing the child to fall approximately six feet onto a hardwood floor before the employee fell backward on top of him.
The child's parents were later contacted and told their son had "fallen." According to NBC News, they were later told the fall was from only about 1.5 feet. After receiving and reviewing the surveillance video several days later, the parents say they discovered their son had actually been thrown over the employee's head before striking the floor.
NBC News reported that the toddler was diagnosed with a concussion, blunt head trauma, and facial injuries. According to the report, he continued experiencing concussion symptoms in the weeks that followed, including sensitivity to light and sound, irregular sleep, behavioral changes, and hearing loss.
How Head Injuries Can Happen in Childcare Settings
Head injuries in childcare settings can happen when a child falls from furniture or playground equipment, is dropped, is handled roughly, or is injured during unsafe play. They can also happen when caregivers are distracted, overwhelmed, or not properly supervising young children.
For toddlers, the signs of a head injury may not always be obvious right away. Parents may notice vomiting, unusual sleepiness, confusion, balance problems, sensitivity to light or sound, behavioral changes, or a child acting differently than normal.
That is why the details matter. When parents and doctors are told a child “fell,” but the injury actually involved a much higher fall or more forceful impact, that can affect how the child is evaluated, treated, and monitored in the days that follow.
Why Honest Communication Matters After a Child Is Injured
One of the most troubling aspects of this incident is the reported difference between what the child's parents were initially told and what they later say they saw on surveillance video.
When a child suffers a serious injury, families deserve complete and accurate information about what happened. Medical providers rely on those details to properly evaluate injuries and determine appropriate treatment, especially when a child has suffered head trauma.
Parents should never be left questioning whether they have been given the full story.
What to Do If Your Child Is Seriously Injured
If your child is seriously injured while in someone else's care, seek medical attention immediately and follow all recommended treatment.
Document the injury by keeping medical records, photographs, and any incident reports or communications from the facility. Ask questions about what happened, who witnessed the incident, and whether surveillance video exists.
Continue monitoring your child after the initial injury. Some symptoms, particularly those involving traumatic brain injuries, may not appear immediately, making follow-up care an important part of recovery.
How The Button Law Firm Helps Families Find Answers
One of the first things parents often tell us after a serious injury is, "We still don't know exactly what happened."
At The Button Law Firm, we help families uncover the full story by obtaining records, preserving evidence, reviewing surveillance video when available, and determining whether safety procedures were followed. We also work closely with our in-house Child Advocate to better understand how an injury has affected a child and help connect families with resources that support both physical and emotional recovery.
Our goal is to allow families to focus on helping their child heal while we focus on finding answers and pursuing accountability when children are harmed because someone failed to keep them safe.
The Button Law Firm's Commitment to Protecting Children
Although The Button Law Firm is not involved in this situation, we hope this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting children and providing families with honest answers when a serious injury occurs.
Every child deserves to be protected while in the care of trusted adults. When that trust is broken, families deserve answers, support, and accountability.
If your child has been seriously injured while in the care of a daycare, school, or another organization responsible for their safety, call The Button Law Firm at 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out our contact form to share your story with our team.
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