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In September 2024, untrained caregivers at a daycare center in McKinney, Texas, failed to ensure the center’s playground was cleared of any hazards before allowing a classroom of toddlers in the playground area. While playing outside, a 14-month-old girl was bitten by a venomous copperhead snake.
The caregivers also failed the little girl when they did not call emergency medical services, even though she suffered a severe and potentially life-threatening bite from the poisonous snake. The wound on her finger blistered, and her hand and wrist became extremely swollen and discolored.
The little girl’s parents rushed her to a nearby emergency room, where doctors treated her with four vials of antivenom along with morphine to control her excruciating pain. They then transported her to a nearby children’s hospital to be kept overnight for observation.
Once the toddler’s condition was stabilized, her parents contacted our North Texas daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. Our dedicated legal team held the McKinney daycare center accountable for its negligence that caused the little girl’s snake bite, life-threatening injuries, and its failure to take appropriate action. With our help, the toddler and her family were able to move forward with justice that covered damages from the incident, including mounting medical bills, pain and suffering, and the entire family’s traumatic experience at the daycare center.
How Did the McKinney Daycare Center Fail This Family?
Texas childcare laws, also known as the minimum standards, require daycare centers to operate safely and provide children with a nurturing environment. The daycare center in McKinney operated negligently when it ignored many of the minimum standards.
First, the center was located in a heavily wooded area, with common dangerous wildlife, including snakes. Despite this safety concern, the daycare center did not securely enclose the playground. Instead, it had a steel fence with wide gaps that an animal could easily fit through.
Second, caregivers at the daycare center in McKinney did not perform a safety check of the playground, which would include inspecting the grounds to ensure there were no hazards, including unfamiliar animals, before allowing the toddler and her classmates to go outside.
The caregivers also failed to closely supervise the toddler and her classmates while outside on the playground. According to the minimum standards, caregivers are required to maintain close auditory and visual awareness of little ones in their care at all times. This is so caregivers can easily identify dangerous situations and intervene if necessary. Sadly, that did not happen in this case. The toddler was allowed to play near a dangerous copperhead snake.
To make matters worse, after the toddler suffered a venomous snake bite, a severe injury where every second counts, caregivers at the McKinney daycare center did not know how to respond to the emergency. They chose not to contact emergency medical services. Instead, the little girl’s parents were the ones who rushed their daughter to a local emergency room to get treatment.
Our experienced daycare injury lawyers found that the safety failures that caused the toddler’s injury were not isolated incidents at the McKinney daycare center. Over two years, the center received seven citations for some of the same deficiencies, including a lack of supervision and failing to complete emergency training such as pediatric first aid, CPR, and rescue breathing.
How Did The Button Law Firm Get Justice for This McKinney Family?
In addition to her severe injury, the 14-month-old girl was traumatized by her experience at the daycare center in McKinney. The copperhead bite caused her extreme pain, and the center’s untrained caregivers left the toddler to suffer longer when they did not call for an ambulance.
The bruising and discoloration on her hand and wrist from the snake bite lasted for weeks and served as a reminder of the scary daycare event. In addition, the injury left the toddler unable to participate in her normal activities until she healed.
The toddler also developed trauma-induced anxiety from the incident at the McKinney daycare center. She developed separation anxiety, constantly wanting to be carried and reassured by her parents. Her trauma also manifested through night terrors and ongoing sleep disturbances, making it difficult for her and her family to get a good night’s sleep. The lack of rest left the toddler irritable and tired throughout the day.
Our daycare injury lawyers fought to hold the McKinney daycare center accountable for its repeated safety failures and its disregard of the minimum standards that led to the toddler’s injuries and her long road to recovery from the venomous bite. With our help, the toddler and her family received a life-changing result that covered the little girl’s medical bills to treat her injuries and the resources that helped her process the traumatic experience so that she could move forward.
Contact The Button Law Firm If Your Child Was Injured at a Daycare Center
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 lawyers 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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