Recovering Damages for Day Care Abuse, Accidents and Injuries

No doubt about it: day care can be dangerous for your children. Between day care abuse, day care accidents and day care injuries, infants and toddlers are at risk for a range of potentially negative scenarios. With 13 million children enrolled in child care, any statistical instance of day care abuse, day care accidents or day care injuries is too high when children are at risk. However, research suggests that over 30,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for injuries obtained in school or day care settings every year.

Day Care Abuse

Day care abuse isn't something that happens at all day care centers, or even most day care centers. The majority of day care providers are responsible, caring organizations with your children's best interests in mind. Day care abuse statistics are incomplete, but it's estimated that only 3% of reported child abuse cases occur in day-care settings. However, all it takes is the one unscrupulous or overzealous staff member to expose your child to day care abuse. Day care abuse typically takes one of three forms:

Sexual abuse:
Sexual abuse is obviously the most serious form of day care abuse that can ever happen to your children. As a parent, you can screen your day care provider carefully to prevent unauthorized or unsavory persons from having direct contact with your children.
Punishment:
Sometimes day care abuse happens when a staff member is overzealous about punishing children. Whether or not the staff member intends to hurt your child, your children should never have to suffer an injury at anyone's hands - especially as punishment. Talk to your children and your day care about how punishment is administered and delivered. Make sure you're comfortable with punishment methods, and touch base regularly with your child about whether the day-to-day reality matches what the day care tells you.
Neglect:
Neglect is also a form of abuse, and neglect in day care can cause injuries. Your day care should have enough staff members that all children are supervised at all times. Children should have a clean, safe environment at day care, and neglect should never happen. Period. Again, talk with your kids about how the day care runs when you're not around. Make sure they're supervised at all times, and that good conditions are maintained throughout the day.

Day Care Accidents

Day care accidents can happen as a result of neglect, or they can even happen under adult supervision. Children are experts at getting into trouble, and an inability to determine what's safe and what isn't can lead to potentially serious injuries, even in a day care setting.

If your child has been injured in a day care accident, the first priority is getting the appropriate medical treatment. Your child's safety is the number one concern, and recovery is the top priority after a day care injury.

Beyond recovery, though, the biggest priority is determining the circumstances of the day care accident. Was your child properly supervised? Is the day care providing a safe environment?

Is an Investigation needed?

You may need an official investigation conducted by a professional investigator to determine the circumstances of the day care accident. The last thing you want is to send your child back into a potentially dangerous environment, so it's vital to get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the day care accident as quickly as possible. Our law firm promptly investigates all cases of neglect or abuse. The State of Texas investigates day care abuse and neglect through the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Contact us if your child has been injured

If your child has been injured in a day care accident or as the result of day care neglect or abuse, the Anderson Law Firm can help. Contact us for a free case evaluation to determine whether or not it's time to launch a full investigation and how to best pursue your child's day care injury case. We can be reached online by clicking here or you can call us in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or toll free at 877-294-1115.

Day Care Injury Library:

Important Things to Look for in a Child Day Care Center

Emotional or Physical Abuse from Day Care Staff

Common Daycare Issues Parents Should Be Aware Of