A child can fall off a play structure and break an arm at home, at school, or in daycare. Even with the most vigilant caregiver watching, accidents happen. However, some steps can be taken to protect children from suffering a serious injury, and adults who are in charge of children should take precautions to ensure their safety. This is particularly true in private daycare centers where caregivers may be expected to supervise more children than they can manage. When children are left unattended, they can suffer serious injuries. We discuss some of the more common injuries here.
Your Child May Suffer These Injuries At Daycare
Children, by nature, are curious. They love to explore their surroundings and investigate new and interesting findings. When not supervised by an adult, these adventures can lead a child to danger very quickly. Some of the injuries babies and children in daycare commonly suffer from often include the following:
- Bumps and bruises. Children sustain these minor injuries all the time. Simply tripping on a toy can lead to a nasty bump on the head. However, if your child is regularly coming home with bruises, you should pay the daycare center a visit to make sure play areas are neat and that children’s behavior is being controlled by a supervisor. If you suspect your child has been abused by a caregiver, go to a doctor for an evaluation of the injury.
- Broken bones and dislocated joints. An infant rolling off a changing table or an older child falling off a swing set can result in a dislocation or broken bone. These incidents could be purely accidental, or they could be the result of lack of supervision and negligence. In the worst-case scenario, a child may have been forcefully grabbed by a caregiver, leading to a dislocated shoulder or broken arm.
- Head trauma. If a child in daycare suffers a blow to the head, the parent should be called immediately. If the child is unconscious, the daycare provider should also call 911. Head injuries often don’t result in outward symptoms, meaning a caregiver may try to hide the fact that a child hit his head, even if it was an accident. This negligent act should be investigated, and the caregiver should be held responsible.
- Burns and shocks. Daycare centers that care for infants often use bottle warmers to prepare bottles. If these are not placed out of the reach of toddlers, they can cause severe burns. Electrical outlets that are not safety-proofed can also shock a child who inserts a toy or utensil. A daycare center could be guilty of failing to provide a safe environment and failing to supervise children in a burn or shock incident.
- Infections. Kids get sick—especially kids in schools or daycare. However, when your child is infected by a bacteria or virus common in unhygienic settings, you may have a case for negligence or child endangerment. Food poisoning, roundworm, gastroenteritis, and beaver fever can all be prevented by proper cleaning and food handling.
You hate to think of your child’s daycare as a dangerous place, but if the evidence suggests that your child is not well supervised or the facility is not clean and safe, you owe it to your child and others in the community to take action. Call the Texas daycare injury attorney at the Button Law Firm to learn more about these types of child injury cases.
What Should You Do If Your Child Was Injured At Daycare?
The first thing you will want to do if your child was injured at daycare is seeking immediate medical attention. Children who attend daycare are typically young and won't be able to explain the depth of their injuries. This is why you will want to make sure there are no internal injuries. After your child has visited the doctor, you will want to report the incident to the daycare.
You can find out how to do so by reading our article, How To Report Daycare Negligence and Abuse.
We have written a five-step guide for parents whose children were injured while at daycare. This guide will go into step-by-step detail on what to do in this incident. We know how hard of a process this is and we hope that this guide can be informative to you and your family. This guide is completely FREE. You can download it on our website or you can request a free paper copy to be sent to your home.
You can download our guide by following the link provided: A Five-Step Guide For Parents Dealing With A Daycare Injury
What Can The Button Law Firm Do To Help With Your Daycare Injury Case?
Each case is different and the injuries affect each kid and their family differently which is why we make sure to independently analyze each injury and the effect it has had on the family. The following damages are allowed under a daycare case:
- Medical expenses from the past and the future
- Lost work for the parents to care for the child
- Mental anguish for the kids and physical impairment of their daily activities
If your child is receiving or has received medical treatment for their daycare injuries, you may have to pay the medical providers back or reimburse them under the law for injuries caused by a third-party.
If you have health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare that covers your child’s injuries, they will need to be paid back for what was paid out for injuries related to the case, which is also called subrogation or reimbursement. We handle this as it is complex and can be time-consuming as there are a lot of hoops to jump through. Check out our article on Medical Bills.
If you are currently dealing with an injury to your child due to the daycare's negligence, please give us a call at 214-699-4409. You can also fill out our Contact Us form. We are here for you and your family and want to help you make the best decision through free legal information.
