The Most Common Causes of Daycare Injuries From a Dallas, Texas Daycare Injury Attorney
Parents across America rely on daycares to keep their kids safe while they're at work. Although many daycares do a great job, some don't and put kids in real danger. As a Dallas daycare injury lawyer, I'm going to go over the five most common incidents we've seen that cause injury to children.
Abuse and Neglect
We see physical, sexual, mental, and emotional abuse taking place in daycares around the country. Appropriate discipline, lack of training, poor supervision, and hiring the wrong people who are not qualified to care for children can all lead to daycare abuse and even life-altering injuries. Abuse of children can lead to criminal charges against the perpetrator and a negligence lawsuit against the daycare that allowed it to happen.
Bottle Warmer Burns
Bottle warmers are supposed to be kept away from young kids. They're hot and often filled with boiling water, and they're especially dangerous when children have access to them. Bottle warmers must be stored up high, with all cords hidden and out of reach. It's best if they're kept in a separate room completely away from children. If a child pulls on a bottle warmer cord, scalding hot water can fall on them, causing life-altering and painful burns.
Lack of Supervision During Playtime
Children need to be allowed to get their energy out in a safe way. recess and playtime help do that. But when daycares are not supervising children appropriately, they can get seriously injured, left to their own devices. They may climb on playground equipment that's not safe for their age, collide with older and bigger children, and get into something they shouldn't fall from high places on hard surfaces. Lack of supervision during playtime can cause broken bones, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and more.
Being Left Behind
Kids who are left outside on the playground or locked in a van or bus, especially during hot weather, are susceptible to serious injury or death. Daycares must have safety protocols in place to prevent kids from being left behind.
Children Wandering Out of the Daycare, Unnoticed
The daycare's most important responsibility is to supervise and watch the children they're in charge of. Children wandering out of daycare puts them at risk for serious injury, being kidnapped, or even being killed. The staff are not properly trained in supervision. The daycare is short-staffed and under-managed. The daycare does not have regular name-to-face counts and checks. The daycare lacks proper security, like locks on the doors and an effective check-in and checkout system during pickup and drop-off. Or the daycare fails to keep a safe child-to-staff ratio, resulting in the caregiver having too many children to watch at one time.
What To Do if Your Child Was Injured In a Dallas Daycare
Though these are the five most common incidents we've seen for daycare injuries, they're not the only ones. If you or a loved one has a child that was seriously injured while at daycare. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Our team is experienced in holding negligent and reckless daycares accountable for their actions. And if you'd like more information on what to do after a daycare injury, download our free five-step guide for parents. It's linked below.