A North Texas daycare center was responsible for transporting a young boy and his classmates from their preschool to the nearby center found out what happens when you violate daycare laws.
On a hot summer day, the daycare worker responsible for driving the daycare vehicle that transports the children to the center skipped over several safety steps required by Texas childcare laws.
Because of this, the young boy found himself locked inside the bus on the daycare center’s premises. No one at the daycare center noticed he was missing until his mother arrived at the end of the workday to pick him up. After an hour-long search, he was found drenched in sweat with a red face and was understandably hysterical.
The boy’s parents contacted our North Texas daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm after their son was evaluated by medical professionals and had calmed down. Our team fought to secure justice in this daycare neglect case and to provide the boy and his family with a life-changing result to help them move forward.
How Did the North Texas Daycare Center Break Childcare Laws in This Case?
Texas childcare laws, also known as the minimum standards, recognize the importance of childcare providers assisting with various transportation needs. But the state also foresees potential dangers, especially in scorching summer months when the interior of a locked vehicle can reach deadly temperatures in just 10 minutes. In the extreme heat, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach 170 degrees.
That’s why the laws require daycare centers to conduct the following checks upon picking up and dropping off children to ensure that no child is left behind:
- Conduct face-to-name checks of all students entering and exiting the daycare vehicle.
- Perform a safety sweep by checking every row to make sure all students have exited the vehicle.
- Use a safety alert system, such as a buzzer or alarm, that must be turned off at the back of the bus.
The driver of the daycare van in this case did not use good judgment when they decided to skip all these required safety steps, thus leaving the young boy behind and endangering his life in the locked vehicle on a hot day.
To make matters worse, the boy’s caregiver at the daycare center failed to comply with the minimum standards when she did not follow up on the young boy’s whereabouts when he did not arrive at the daycare center as scheduled. This lapse in judgment had the boy’s absence go unnoticed at the center until his mother arrived to pick him up at the end of the day and found her child was missing.
An independent investigation conducted by the state into this incident cited the North Texas daycare center for violating six minimum standards, which could have easily prevented the entire daycare neglect incident from happening.
How Did The Button Law Firm Help the Boy and His Family Move Forward?
The young boy suffered extreme physical and emotional injuries. The prolonged time in the locked daycare van caused him to suffer heat exhaustion, which he was treated for at a local emergency room.
The severe trauma the boy experienced from being left behind in the hot van for a prolonged amount of time affected him even a year after the incident. The boy developed severe separation anxiety, screaming out of fear that he was being abandoned again when he lost sight of his parents. He also regressed in milestones such as potty training and had accidents during the day because he was afraid to go into the bathroom alone, scared of being left behind.
The trauma from the incident also caused him to have challenges regulating his emotions and become distrustful of people.
When the little boy rides in a car, he insists on having the air conditioning turned on the highest setting so that he does not feel hot to any degree.
Our experienced and compassionate team of daycare injury lawyers witnessed how the North Texas daycare center’s safety failures deeply impacted the life of the young boy and his parents. We made the daycare center answer for endangering the young boy’s life in the hot daycare van with a life-changing result that covered the boy’s medical expenses, long-term therapy sessions, and other damages. With our help, the boy and his parents were able to move forward.
Let The Button Law Firm Help Your Family After a Daycare Injury
If your child was physically or emotionally injured at a daycare center anywhere in Texas, contact our experienced daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. With offices in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our lawyers 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 intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.
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