Field trips and outings to places like The Woodlands Children’s Museum and Little Beakers Science Lab for Kids are popular activities for daycare centers throughout the summer months. However, daycare centers transporting little ones around The Woodlands require extra attention and care in the excessive summer heat.
Last year, Houston, The Woodlands, and surrounding suburbs broke a 23-year all-time heat record by reaching 109 degrees, according to The Houston Chronicle. Now, imagine temperatures inside of a daycare van or bus, which can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. If it’s 109 outside, that means temperatures can increase to a deadly 129 degrees in a locked vehicle on a hot summer day. This is why it is vital that daycare centers in The Woodlands comply with the state’s daycare laws, also known as the minimum standards when transporting children this summer.
Our experienced daycare injury lawyers help families hold negligent centers in The Woodlands accountable for careless conduct when transporting little ones. We’re educating parents in The Woodlands about what to do in case a child experiences a traumatic event like being left or locked in a hot van while attending a local childcare center.
What Happens When Children in The Woodlands Overheat or Get Heatstroke from Being Left in a Daycare Van or Bus?
Overheating or heatstroke are the primary health concerns for little ones in The Woodlands in the summer months because it is the leading non-crash, vehicle-related death for children younger than 15 years old, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center warns that locked vehicles like daycare vans and buses experience rapidly rising temperatures in the summer because of the natural phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. When a vehicle’s doors and windows are closed and the sun shines through, heat cannot escape, exponentially heating the interior.
When locked inside a daycare’s bus or van in The Woodlands, children’s bodies can overheat four times faster than adults. In just a matter of minutes, a child may experience health issues such as:
- Brain damage
- Cardiac arrest
- Dizziness or confusion
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Organ failure, particularly in the liver and kidneys
- Rapid heartbeat
- Seizures
Sadly, on average, 38 children die each year from being locked in a hot vehicle. Once a child’s body temperature reaches 107 degrees, their heatstroke becomes fatal.
How Can Daycare Centers in The Woodlands Prevent Overheating Incidents in Vehicles?
Heatstroke and overheating incidents in daycare vans and buses are easily preventable when caregivers in The Woodlands comply with the state’s minimum standards, which include:
- Loading and unloading children at the curbside of the vehicle or in a protected parking area or driveway to better monitor who is entering and leaving the vehicle.
- Conducting multiple face-to-name checks to ensure all children are accounted for after a ride in a daycare van or bus, and before leaving the vehicle unattended.
- Maintaining safe staff-to-child ratios.
- Ensuring all daycare workers complete training on safety standards, including travel safety and how to spot symptoms of overheating and heatstroke.
More tips from Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center to prevent leaving a child inside of a daycare’s vehicle on a hot day include:
- Checking all the seats by placing something you need, like a purse, cellular phone, or even a shoe, in the last row.
- Placing a stuffed animal or another reminder of a child in the front seat of the bus or van.
- Keep all daycare vans and buses locked so that a child cannot access the vehicle and become trapped inside while playing.
Can I Sue a Daycare Center in The Woodlands If My Child Was Left in a Hot Van or Bus?
A child can experience serious health issues and emotional trauma from being left in a hot daycare van or bus in The Woodlands. You and your family have the right to file a lawsuit to hold the Spring daycare center and relevant caregivers accountable and seek compensation, also known as damages. The lawsuit must be filed within two years of the incident in accordance with Texas laws.
Parents in The Woodlands may be eligible for compensation to cover:
- Emotional damages such as pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Mental anguish
In the tragic event that a child passes away because of heatstroke or other injuries sustained from being locked in a hot daycare van, parents in The Woodlands 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
Do you have more questions about taking legal action after your child was left in a daycare van or bus in The Woodlands? Call us at 281-857-6116, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation. We will listen and advise on the best path forward for you and your family.
Help Your Family After an Overheating Incident Involving a Daycare Van or Bus in The Woodlands
Our experienced and compassionate daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm are dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child was left in a hot van or bus while in the care of a childcare facility in The Woodlands. With attorneys recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, 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 281-857-6116, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.
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