Midland-Odessa, a part of the Permian Basin, has grown to become a popular spot for young families to settle down over the past few years. There are vast opportunities for jobs in the oil and gas industry, and Midland offers a small-town feel with all the modern amenities one needs. A growing city means a growing need for new and safe childcare. Our Midland daycare injury attorney explains in further detail.
With this growing need for childcare comes an influx of new daycares. Some of them may be great, with kind and empathetic employees who genuinely love caring for children. Others, however, are riddled with the same daycare safety concerns of employees who are there just to get a paycheck and poor management, where directors are concerned about making money more than they are about the kids.
Daycare Injuries and How They Happen
We often see daycare injuries happen in Midland daycares in the those facilities that are cutting corners. Injuries and damages in daycares may result from:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Neglect
- Inappropriate or improper punishments
- Emotional abuse
- Psychological abuse
Unfortunately, instances like this happen all too often throughout Texas, and when they do, children can suffer from things like:
- Brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Dislocated limbs
- Spinal injuries
- Asphyxiation or suffocation
- Heatstroke
- Poisoning
- Anxiety disorders like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and more.
- Depression
- Regressive behavior
Children should not have to suffer because of a bad daycare teacher who is not doing their job. Daycares are responsible for providing safe care to the children they watch.
What to Do if Your Child Was Injured at Their Midland-Odessa Daycare
If you’ve found out that your child was harmed at their Midland childcare center, it’s important to take action for your child. Below is a list of steps for parents to take after their child was injured while at a daycare.
- Seek Medical Attention
- If you suspect your child was injured at daycare, seek medical attention by taking them to their pediatrician. If the injury requires more urgent attention, take your child to an emergency room or urgent care center. Keep all medical documents given to you by the doctor’s office.
- Incident Report
- Get an incident report from the daycare. Getting a report of what happened, in writing, will show that the daycare knew of what happened and when it happened. That way, they can’t try to deny that the incident occurred. Most states, including Texas, require that daycares create and provide you with a written incident report – even for the most minor incidents and injuries.
- Reporting to the State
- Any type of injury that requires medical attention and all abuse allegations must be reported to the state. The state will conduct an investigation into what happened and keep those records in the daycare’s licensing records. In Texas, all licensing deficiencies are made public. Click here to get reporting information for your state.
- Investigate
- Look for signs of abuse. Does your child have behavioral changes or have they developed new fears? Do they have unexplained bruises or cuts? Do you know of other children who have suffered abuse at that daycare? Talk to other parents and find out what you can about the daycare.
- Learn your rights
- Learn more about your legal rights after your child was harmed at daycare. Daycares have minimum standards, or laws, that they must follow as required by the state. If they don’t follow these and a child is hurt, they must be held responsible for not keeping your child safe.
Get Help After a Midland Daycare Injury
Contact our firm if your child was harmed because of a reckless, negligent, or abusive daycare. The pain and suffering children go through because of this is 100% preventable, and it’s up to the daycare to ensure that kids stay safe in their care. Our Midland team is ready to help you and your child move forward past the trauma of a daycare injury.
To reach us, call us at 432-203-0060 or email [email protected]. You can also reach out to us by filling out the contact form below.