Top Five Things Parents Should Do After a Child Is Left on a Daycare Bus in Fort Worth

Top Five Things Parents Should Do After a Child Is Left on a Daycare Bus in Fort Worth

If a Fort Worth daycare center leaves your child in a bus or van, it is important that you follow these five steps:

1. Seek Medical Attention: Take your child to a trusted medical provider, such as a pediatrician or the emergency room at Cook Children’s. Doctors can evaluate your child and provide necessary treatment. Your child’s medical records from this visit can also serve as helpful evidence against the daycare center if you decide to take legal action.
2. Report the Fort Worth Daycare Center to the State: Contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services by calling 800-252-5400. Reporting the incident allows the state to investigate and identify the safety failures of the Fort Worth daycare center that led to your child being left in a vehicle, and the report can help prevent other children from being harmed in the same way. While daycare centers are required to file a report with the state, this does not always happen, so filing one can ensure the state has a record of it. It is also important to note that all state reports are anonymous, so the center will not be told that you reported them.
3. Request an Incident Report from the Daycare Center: Per state laws, a daycare center in Fort Worth is required to provide you with an incident report any time your child is injured or endangered at the center. These reports give a summary of the incident, including what happened, who the caregivers were in charge of your child, what, if any, medical treatment your child received, and other details. The center should automatically provide you with a report, but request one if you do not receive it.
4. Document Everything That Happened to Your Child: Be sure to write down everything that happened to your child at the Fort Worth daycare center. Jot down what your child tells you about being left on the bus, and take notes after speaking with daycare staff and the director about the incident. You can also request to see surveillance footage if cameras are installed at the center.
5. Contact a Fort Worth Daycare Injury Lawyer: At The Button Law Firm, we fight for Fort Worth families when a child has been harmed because of negligent practices, such as leaving a child on a bus at local daycare centers. Learn more about working with our experienced team to take legal action against a daycare center in Fort Worth here. Call us at 214-699-4409 or email us [email protected] for a free case evaluation.

Can I Sue a Fort Worth Daycare Center for Leaving My Child on a Bus?

Leaving a child inside a daycare bus or van is a form of daycare neglect. As we mentioned earlier in this article, these daycare incidents are easily preventable and happen when Fort Worth daycare centers cut safety corners. For example, they fail to conduct face-to-name checks as kids load and unload from the vehicle and do not closely conduct a walkthrough or sweep of the vehicle to ensure that no little ones are hidden in the tall seats.

Your family holding a local daycare center accountable for neglecting your child can also help protect other children in the community from being harmed or endangered at the center. In doing this, your family may be entitled to receive compensation for damages such as:

• Emotional damages, including pain and suffering
• Medical expenses for mental health resources and other necessary treatment plans
• Mental anguish from the traumatic incident

In the tragic event that a child passes away because of heatstroke or other injuries they suffered while being locked in a daycare bus or van, Fort Worth parents may be eligible for compensation to cover: 

• Funeral and burial expenses
• Medical expenses incurred prior to the child’s passing
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages if the daycare’s gross negligence caused a child’s death
• The emotional toll of losing a loved one, especially a child
• Other unexpected expenses

In most cases, Fort Worth parents must take legal action within two years of the date when the child was left in the daycare vehicle. This deadline is also known as the statute of limitations. However, it can take time for our legal team to gather information about the daycare incident, so it is best to contact us as soon as possible.

More Free Resources for Fort Worth Parents After a Child’s Daycare Injury

Because daycare incidents are more common than we would like to imagine, our dedicated daycare injury lawyers have created more free resources to help Fort Worth parents:

• 5-Step Guide for Parents Dealing with a Daycare Injury
• Exploring the Risks: Daycare Centers and the Hazard of Leaving Children in Locked Vans
• Am I Overreacting After My Child Had an Injury at Daycare?
• My Child Was Injured While Attending Daycare, What Am I Supposed to To?

 Was Your Child Left on a Daycare Bus in Fort Worth? Contact The Button Law Firm.

If your child was left behind on a daycare bus in Fort Worth, Texas, contact our experienced daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. 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 [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.