BLF Comments on 6-Year-Old Dying After Being Left on Daycare Bus in Memphis Heat

MEMPHIS, TN – A 6-year-old child died after being left for hours on a daycare bus in Memphis, according to News Channel 3. Temperatures that day were expected to reach 99 degrees, and the child's internal body temperature reached 109 degrees.

For families who depend on daycare transportation, this is a terrifying situation to read about. Parents trust that when their child gets onto a daycare bus or van, someone is keeping track of them at every point of the trip. No child should be forgotten inside a vehicle, especially when there are safety procedures designed specifically to prevent it.

The Button Law Firm (BLF) is not involved in this case. 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.

What News Channel 3 Reported

According to News Channel 3, the young girl was dropped off at Kid University to be transported by the daycare to Macon-Hall Elementary School.

She never made it inside the school.

The 6-year-old remained on the daycare bus and was not found until that afternoon, when it was time to use the bus again to pick students up from school. She was found in need of medical assistance, transported to a hospital in critical condition, and later died.

News Channel 3 reported that the child was autistic and nonverbal. Children with additional support needs may not be able to communicate that they are in danger or get an adult's attention when something goes wrong.

A child's safety should never depend on whether they can call for help. The adults responsible for that child must know where they are.

Russell Button, founding attorney of The Button Law Firm, commented on the importance of these safeguards, saying:

“There is no excuse for losing track of a child on a daycare bus. These are young children who depend on the adults caring for them, and some children may not be able to call out or tell someone they have been left behind. That is exactly why daycares have transportation logs, face-to-name checks, and vehicle sweeps. Those safeguards have to be followed every trip, for every child.”

How Can Daycares Prevent Children From Being Left on a Bus?

Transportation safety must involve more than a driver looking around before leaving a vehicle.

Daycares are required to do multiple checks so that one missed step does not leave a child unattended. This includes completing face-to-name checks when children get on and off the vehicle, maintaining an accurate transportation log, and physically walking through the entire bus or van after every trip.

Tennessee childcare transportation rules also require another designated staff member to inspect the vehicle and compare the passenger log with the daycare's attendance records.

These safeguards work together to create a clear chain of accountability from the moment a child gets into the vehicle until they safely reach their destination. Daycare staff should know exactly which children boarded, personally confirm each child exited, physically inspect the vehicle after the trip, and verify that transportation records match attendance. At no point should there be uncertainty about where a child is.

Especially during extreme summer heat, every one of those checks matters.

Why Do Non-Verbal Children Face a Greater Risk of Getting Left Behind?

Children who are non-verbal or have autism can be especially vulnerable to daycare negligence. Some children may require more individualized supervision, communicate their needs differently, or be unable to tell an adult when something is wrong. That makes it even more important for daycares to understand each child's needs and have caregivers who are properly trained to support them.

Transportation can create additional risks. A non-verbal child may not respond to a verbal roll call in the way a caregiver expects, call out as the group exits the bus, or alert someone if they are overlooked. Daycares should recognize these risks before transportation begins by knowing which children need additional support, visually matching every child's face to their name, and physically confirming each child safely reaches the adult responsible for receiving them.

For children who cannot advocate for themselves, there is even less room for caregivers to become distracted, rush through a transportation check, or assume someone else accounted for the child. Daycares must know the children in their care, understand their individual needs, and provide the level of supervision necessary to keep them safe.

What Do I Do If My Child Is Left in an Overheated Daycare Vehicle?

A child found inside an overheated vehicle needs immediate medical attention. Heat-related injuries can become life-threatening quickly, even when the child initially appears responsive.

Once your child is safe and receiving care, document what you know about the incident. Ask that transportation logs, attendance records, surveillance footage, and incident reports be preserved. You can also report what happened to the appropriate state childcare agency and speak with a daycare injury attorney about protecting your child's rights.

Has The Button Law Firm Handled Cases Like This?

Our daycare and child injury attorneys have helped families after transportation providers failed to account for children in their care.

In one North Texas case, a young boy was left locked inside a daycare bus on a hot summer day after required safety checks were skipped. He suffered heat exhaustion and lasting emotional trauma. Our team held the daycare accountable and secured a life-changing result that helped provide for his medical care and long-term therapy.

We also represented a young girl who fell asleep on the way to school and was left inside a locked shuttle van. She woke up alone, escaped the vehicle, and walked nearly a mile along a dangerous road before finding help. Our team secured a settlement to help her family address the emotional impact of what she experienced and move forward.

When Daycare Transportation Safety Fails

At The Button Law Firm, we know families trust daycares to handle the basics every single day: know where their child is, supervise them, and return them home safely.

When a child is seriously harmed because those basic responsibilities were ignored, families deserve to understand how it happened.

Our team investigates transportation and attendance records, employee training, surveillance footage, daycare policies, and every safety check that should have protected the child. We are also here to support families through what can be an overwhelming and life-changing experience.

No child should ever be forgotten on a daycare bus. And no child's survival should depend on their ability to speak up when the adults responsible for protecting them have lost track of them.

If your child has been harmed because of abuse or neglect at a daycare, call The Button Law Firm at 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out our contact form to share your story or experience with our team.