A 2-year-old girl was found alone in the middle of a busy four-lane road in Fort Worth after wandering away from BeYOUtiful Beginnings daycare without anyone noticing she was missing. Two passing drivers spotted the toddler and stopped to protect her from oncoming traffic.
The Button Law Firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of Felisha and Travae Jones after their daughter was lost by the Fort Worth daycare. NBC DFW recently highlighted the family's case, including the basic supervision failures that allowed a toddler to leave the daycare unnoticed and the lasting impact the experience has had on her.
A Toddler Reached a Busy Road Without Anyone Noticing
The little girl had been outside on the playground with her classmates before caregivers began bringing the children back into the daycare building. During that transition, she was able to leave the property unnoticed.
She crossed a parking lot and alleyway, traveled down a grassy incline, and eventually reached Parkwood Hill Boulevard, a high-traffic four-lane road.
At just 2 years old, she could not recognize the danger of moving traffic or protect herself from approaching vehicles. Fortunately, two drivers spotted her and stopped to get her to safety.
“It’s a four-lane road, 2 lanes each way, and two different drivers stopped to prevent her from being hit by vehicles,” Russell Button, daycare injury lawyer at The Button Law Firm, told NBC DFW.
Basic Daycare Safety Procedures Were Ignored
BeYOUtiful Beginnings had procedures designed to keep children accounted for during transitions between the playground and classroom. These included a walking rope, headcounts, and name-to-face checks to confirm that every child returned safely.
But daycare employees failed to complete those checks.
“They were coming in from the playground. They lost this child. They didn’t perform any of the face-to-name checks, head counts, had no idea how many kids came out or came back in,” Button told NBC DFW.
The failures became even more troubling when police investigated. According to a Fort Worth police report highlighted by NBC DFW, all three people at the daycare “knew nothing about the child's whereabouts, how long the child was gone from their care, nor did anyone want to take accountability for the incident.”
The daycare could not explain when the toddler disappeared, how long she had been missing, or how she managed to reach a busy roadway.
“These are the basics. Don’t lose children. Make sure you’re supervising them. Make sure they’re within your eyes and ears, and that daycare failed on all these levels,” Button told NBC DFW.
Being Found Didn't Mean the Incident Was Over
Although the toddler was rescued from the dangers of the high-traffic road, the experience continued to affect her long after she was returned to safety.
In the months afterward, her parents noticed significant changes in her behavior. She developed intense separation anxiety, struggled with daycare drop-offs, became increasingly dependent on her mother, and experienced emotional outbursts.
For Felisha and Travae Jones, knowing their daughter had been alone in a busy road was frightening enough. Learning that no one at the daycare could explain how she disappeared or how long she was missing made the situation even more troubling.
The family is now seeking justice and accountability for the supervision failures that endangered their daughter and the harm that followed.
Fighting for Answers and Accountability
This case demonstrates the importance of basic daycare safety procedures. Headcounts, name-to-face checks, and active supervision are designed to prevent children from getting lost and placed in dangerous situations.
BeYOUtiful Beginnings had those safeguards in place but failed to follow them. As a result, a 2-year-old reached a busy road before anyone at the daycare realized she was missing.
The Button Law Firm is fighting to hold the daycare accountable for those failures and help the Jones family secure justice for their daughter.
Fighting for Children Who Were Failed by Their Daycares
At The Button Law Firm, we represent kids in daycare and child injury cases to help them get life-changing results and justice against bad daycares, schools, and companies that abuse and neglect the safety of children.
If your child was lost, left unsupervised, or seriously injured at a Texas daycare, call 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or use our contact form to share what happened.
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