What Are Parents’ Options When Children Suffer Daycare Injuries?

 Posted on June 08, 2022 in Personal Injury

For most parents, the possibility of their children suffering harm is one of the worst things to contemplate. Parents do everything they can to keep their children safe, but it is impossible to watch them every second of every day. When parents leave their children in someone else’s care, they expect those people to provide the same level of protection while also meeting the children’s needs. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and children can sometimes suffer serious injuries at daycare due to the negligence of staff members. In these situations, parents will need to determine how they can hold a daycare center responsible for the harm suffered by their children and their families.

Causes of Injuries to Children at Daycare Centers

Daycare is often necessary during the day to ensure that children will be cared for while parents are working. Unfortunately, there are a number of issues that may put children at risk while they are at daycare, including:

• Dangerous toys or playgrounds - Many toys contain small parts that may be choking hazards for younger children, or they can sometimes have sharp edges or other problems that present a risk of injury. Children may be injured if age-appropriate toys are not provided or if staff members allow children to use toys that are damaged or otherwise unsafe. Children may also suffer injuries due to defective playground equipment at a daycare.

• Unsecured items - Daycare centers may have heavy shelves, desks, or tables that can injure children if they fall over. If items are not properly secured and stabilized, they may cause serious head injuries, broken bones, or other injuries that affect children.

• Unsafe foods - Children should be given age-appropriate foods, and daycare employees should also be aware of any allergies that affect children or other food-related issues that could potentially cause harm to children

• Negligent supervision - If children are not closely monitored by daycare employees, they may be injured in a variety of ways, including choking on toys or foods, falling after climbing on shelves or playground equipment, or ingesting cleaning supplies that have not been stored properly.

• Abuse - Sadly, some daycare employees may intentionally harm children. Physical, verbal, or sexual abuse can cause long-lasting physical and psychological harm.

Following a daycare injury, parents may be able to take legal action to address the harm suffered by their children and their family, and they may be able to recover compensation for damages such as medical bills, income lost when a parent needs to take time off work to care for children following an injury, or pain and suffering and emotional trauma experienced by the child or other family members. While an individual employee may be held responsible for their actions, the daycare center that employed them may also be liable for child injuries, especially if it failed to properly screen employees, provide them with the necessary training, or maintain adequate staff to ensure that children could be properly supervised at all times.

Contact Our Milwaukee Daycare Injury Lawyers

If your child has been injured while at daycare, Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP, LLP can help you understand your legal options. We will work with you to identify the liable parties, and we will help you pursue compensation and ensure that your family will be made whole. Contact our Milwaukee, WI child injury attorneys at 414-271-1440 to get the legal help you need.

Source:

https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/manuals/cclicensing-manual/Complaint_and_Incident_Investigations/Incident_Accident_Injury_Death_Reporting/overview-cc-incident-accident-injury-death-reporting.htm