A Parents’ Guide to Common Daycare Burn Incidents in Texas

Children (18 years old and under) make up 42% of all burn injury victims, according to an extensive study analyzing data collected by the World Health Organization Global Burn Registry. And a staggering 62% of children between 1 and 5 suffered these burn injuries. In fact, burn injuries have become so common that the American Burn Association has established National Burn Awareness Week, celebrated every February, to educate the public about these traumatic incidents.  

Our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers have found that burn injuries happen to children while in the care of daycare centers more often than parents more often than parents are aware. Sadly, burn injuries often occur because caregivers are not properly trained on how to prevent these incidents, or they are simply unqualified at hiring, so they do not properly supervise the children they are charged with watching.

The most common: Eighty percent (80%) of burn injuries that children experience are called scald burns, according to the forementioned WHO GBR study. Scald burns are caused by something hot and wet like boiling water, steam, or some other hot substance.

In a daycare environment, scald burns, especially among babies and toddlers, are frequently caused by bottle warmers. These preventable burn incidents happen when:

• An unsupervised child pulls a loose cord on the bottle warmer, causing boiling water or milk to spill on them,
• An improperly stored bottle warmer tips over because it is not safely secured,
• A bottle warmer is left on a surface within reach of a child and is knocked over.

Scald burns also commonly occur at Texas daycare centers when little ones are not properly supervised around or kept away from:

• Boiling water
• Hot bath water, if children are bathed at the daycare center
• Hot beverages like coffee, formula, or tea
• Steam from a humidifier

Flame burns account for another 14% of burn injuries suffered by young children. These incidents occur when little ones are not properly supervised around open flames like candles.

Other Burn Injuries That Children Suffer at Texas Daycare Centers

Aside from scald burns that we covered above, children can also suffer from burn injuries when unqualified caregivers do not supervise children around hot surfaces like:

• A hot iron or curling iron in a classroom
• Electric blankets or heating pads used in the wintertime
• Metal doors or glass windows that absorb heat on a hot day
• Objects like a hot plate, stove, or oven used to prepare snacks or meals
• Space heaters

Lastly, hazardous materials like cleaning products or pesticides can seriously burn a child when they come in contact with a child’s skin or hair. These serious burns are called chemical burns.

The Four Classifications of Burn Injuries 

Depending on its severity, the burn injury a child experiences at a Texas daycare center falls under one of four classifications. Doctors diagnose each level based on how deep the burn penetrates the child’s skin. Unlike typical injuries, burns can progress over time. This means that parents like you or a daycare worker may not know the full impact of a child’s burn until a few days after the initial incident.

The four burn classifications are:

• First-Degree Burns: These burns only affect the outer layer of the skin, like a mild sunburn. The impacted skin may turn red and be painful upon touching, but there is no long-term impact on the body.
• Second-Degree Burns: Slightly more serious than first-degree burns, second-degree burns affect the outer and lower skin layers. For these burns, the skin may blister or swell. These burns are also painful to the touch.
• Third-Degree Burns: Affecting all three skin layers, third-degree burns are serious with lasting impacts to the body. These burns permanently damage nerve endings, hair follicles, and sweat glands. The skin may look black, white, or red with a leathery texture, and any pain will be felt in the areas around the burn.
• Fourth-Degree Burns: The most severe burn classification, these burns go even deeper than third-degree burns and can be life-threatening. These burns permanently damage muscle, bone, tendons, and nerve endings in the impacted area.

We are lucky that Texas is an epicenter of outstanding medical care. If a child is seriously burned at a daycare center, there are several reputable pediatric burn facilities across the Lone Star State:

• Austin
  • Dell Children’s
• Dallas
  • Parkland
  • UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Galveston
  • Shriners Children’s Texas
• Houston
  • Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
  • Texas Children’s
• Lubbock
  • UMC Health System
• San Antonio and South Texas
  • University Children’s Health

More Daycare Burn Injury Resources for Parents

Our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers have also created several free articles and videos to educate parents, like you, about the frequency and serious nature of burn injuries that occur at childcare facilities across the state:

• What Do I Do If My Child Was Burned at Daycare?
• Helping Parents After a Child Is Burned at a Dallas Daycare Center
• The Dangers of Bottle Warmer Burns in Daycare
• What Parents Need to Know After a Bottle Warmer Burn at Daycare
• Answering Your Questions: Bottle Warmer Lawsuits in Texas

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Texas Daycare Burn Injury Lawyers

If your child suffered a burn injury at a Texas daycare center, your family may be eligible to file a lawsuit to hold the center accountable for your child’s injuries and seek compensation to cover:

• Lost wages from your job while serving as a caregiver to your child
• Pain and suffering
• Therapy and other resources to help with mental anguish
• Your child’s medical expenses