Daycare Center Injuries
Los Angeles Daycare Injury Lawyer
Daycare centers, while designed and intended to protect children, can present potentially dangerous or fatal hazards. Many children are injured while in childcare settings. In 1997, about 31,000 children 4 years old and younger were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries that occurred in a daycare center setting. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that at least 56 children have died in childcare settings since 1990.
Daycare centers must protect children from encountering the following hazards:
- Ungated or unprotected entrances or stairwells;
- Contact with toxic chemicals in cleaning supplies, medicines and other substances that are not properly stored in cabinets with protective safety-latches;
- Sharp implements such as knives, razors, matches
- Unsafe furniture that contain splinters, rusty nails or lead paint;
- Dangling window blind cords;
- Recalled children's toys, cribs, and furniture.
To ensure the safety of all children in a daycare center, the center must:
- Post telephone numbers for the police, fire department, hospital, ambulance and poison control center are posted by each telephone;
- Ensure that a first aid kit is within easy reach and is completely stocked;
- Keep poisonous plants out of the children's reach;
All staff involved in direct care at daycare centers, including family home caregivers, should be certified in pediatric first aid, including rescue breathing and first aid for choking. At least one certified staff person should be with the children at all times and in all places where children are in care.
Daycare Centers Must Comply with Local Licensing Regulations
If your child meets with any of the dangers listed above or is injured in any other capacity at a daycare center, it is possible that the daycare center is improperly licensed or otherwise not complying with local laws. Local laws provide for a certain supervisor to child ratio and if there are not enough supervisors, children in daycare centers can be seriously injured. In addition to protecting the legal rights of your family, parents should report the facility to the local licensing board and seek alternative care for their children.
Contact a Daycare Center Injury Lawyer
You have the right to recover damages if your child has been seriously or fatally injured in due to negligence at a daycare center. The daycare center may be liable for damages for failure to properly maintain the facility or for failure to comply with local licensing regulations. Contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney at Lederer and Nojima today, to seek advice and counsel. We will fight for the compensation to which you and your family are entitled for your child’s injury and the loss to your family.
