Should I Take My Child to the Doctor After a Head Injury at a Southlake Daycare Center?

Why Is It Important to Always Seek Medical Care After a Southlake Daycare Head Injury?

If your child suffers a head injury at a Southlake daycare center, you should always take them to an urgent care facility like Cook Children’s Urgent Care (Southlake), your pediatrician’s office, or a local emergency room, like Complete Care Southlake. Even if your child’s head injury seems minor, our experienced daycare injury lawyers encourage you to always seek medical attention. Receiving medical care for your child early is the best way to keep your child safe and determine if they have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as soon as possible.

A proper medical examination not only protects your child’s health but can also strengthen your case if you decide to file a civil lawsuit. After a medical exam for your child’s injury, request a copy of their medical records. This documentation can help our daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm better understand the severity of your child’s daycare injury and any long-term treatments to help them move forward.

What Kinds of Head Injuries Can Children Suffer at Southlake Daycare Centers?

According to Texas Children’s, almost half a million children make emergency room visits each year for traumatic brain injuries. These serious head injuries in children are concerning because their brains and bodies are still growing, which makes kids more vulnerable to the long-term effects.

In children, the common types of head injuries are:

• Concussions. Concussions are caused by a sudden jolt or violent blow to a child’s head that causes a rapid back-and-forth movement of the brain in the skull.
• Contusions. Bruises to the brain that cause swelling and bleeding inside where the head was hit.
• Skull fractures. Breaks in the skull bone. There are different types of skull fractures, including compound, basilar, and linear, and each has its own kinds of complications that can impact your child’s health.

It’s incredibly important that daycare centers in Southlake follow Texas childcare laws, also known as the minimum standards, to prevent serious injuries like head trauma from happening. The minimum standards include enforcing proper child-to-caregiver ratios, completing background checks on new caregivers, and the director supervising caregivers in classrooms throughout the day. These safety precautions help prevent serious incidents from happening to your child while they’re at a daycare center in Southlake.

If you think your child’s head injury is the result of a Southlake daycare center neglecting to follow the minimum standards, the daycare center can be held liable. Learn more about how to hold a Southlake daycare center accountable for failing your child and family here.

What Are Symptoms of Head Injuries in Children at Southlake Daycare Centers?

Sadly, our experienced daycare injury lawyers have seen daycare centers in Southlake fail in their duty to protect children by failing to report injuries to parents and the proper authorities. That’s why it’s important to closely watch your child for these common symptoms of TBIs if you think they suffered a head injury.

These can include:

• Changes in the ability to pay attention
• Changes in their eating habits
• Drowsiness
• Increased irritability
• Loss of interest in activities or toys
• Persistent crying

In cases where infants and toddlers are hurt at a daycare center in Southlake, they can’t always explain what hurts or how they got hurt in their classroom at the center. If your child comes home from a Southlake daycare center experiencing one or multiple TBI symptoms, seek medical attention right away at a local emergency room, urgent care center, or your pediatrician’s office.

How Do Head Injuries Happen in Southlake Daycare Centers?

The three most common ways head injuries happen to children in Southlake daycare centers are through falls, Shaken Baby Syndrome, and choking incidents.  

Falls may happen when children play on playground equipment that’s inappropriate for their age, such as monkey bars that are too high for little ones. Other fall incidents occur when a caregiver is distracted or not nearby to prevent toddlers or infants from rolling off changing tables or falling from highchairs when they are not properly strapped in.

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a form of abuse where an untrained caregiver violently shakes a baby, typically out of frustration or anger. Even for just a second, violent shaking of a young child can cause severe brain damage and permanently alter their life.  

Choking can cause brain damage in children because of the blocked airway from food or small toys that prevent oxygen from getting to their brains.

Most head injuries at Southlake daycare centers are preventable and often stem from the same safety failures. When daycare providers don’t follow Texas minimum standards, children are put at risk. Our legal team consistently sees the same issues—distracted caregivers, unsafe classroom conditions, and children left unsupervised—all of which create dangerous environments where head injuries occur.

How Do Doctors Diagnose and Treat Child Head Injuries That Happen at Southlake Daycare Centers?

According to Texas Children’s, common tests used to diagnose TBIs in children include X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and EEGs.

Treatment for a TBI can range greatly depending on your child’s age and the type of injury they sustained.Most treatments for children who have a head injury include:

• Antibiotic ointment
• Hospitalization for observation
• Rest
• Stitches

Read through this article to learn more about why brain and head injuries are serious and always need medical treatment or testing.

Are Child Head Injuries Preventable at Southlake Daycare Centers?

Serious head injury incidents at Southlake daycare centers most often occur because of inadequate supervision. When Southlake daycare centers follow the minimum standards, serious child head injuries can be easily prevented. Texas has strict child-to-caregiver ratios to protect children. 

In Texas, the bare minimum ratios for daycare centers are:

• Toddlers (12-17 months): 1 adult for every 5 children
• Toddlers (18-23 months): 1 adult for every 9 children
• 2-year-olds: 1 adult for every 11 children
• 3-year-olds: 1 adult for every 15 children
• 4-year-olds: 1 adult for every 18 children
• 5-year-olds: 1 adult for every 22 children

When daycare centers fail to follow these ratios, children are more likely to suffer serious head injuries because staff cannot adequately supervise the children in their care. Caregivers should be attentive, properly trained, and able to anticipate risks so they can intervene before a child gets hurt.

How Can The Button Law Firm Help My Family After a Southlake Daycare Center Head Injury?

Our compassionate daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm are ready to help your family after your child suffers a head injury at a Southlake daycare center. Our lawyers 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.