In November 2023, the mother of a 2-year-old boy arrived at a daycare center in Carrollton, Texas, to pick up her son. She was shocked to find her toddler had the beginnings of a black eye, and his bottom lip was swollen and had been punctured all the way through. Caregivers at the Carrollton daycare center told the mother her son hurt himself while eating pretzels at snack time. Worried about the severity of his injuries, she took the toddler to a local urgent care facility for medical attention.
The next day, she returned to the Carrollton daycare center to view surveillance footage of what had happened in the classroom. That is when the truth was revealed: A frustrated worker dropped the toddler on a nap cot and then yanked the cot, causing the boy to fall, hit his head, and bite through his bottom lip.
The little boy’s mother contacted our daycare and childcare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm to hold the negligent daycare center in Carrollton accountable for the abusive treatment that caused the toddler’s injuries and the subsequent attempt to cover up the incident. Our legal team got justice by securing a settlement to help the toddler and his mother move forward.
How the Carrollton Daycare Center Broke Texas Daycare Laws
In this case, the daycare center in Carrollton broke several Texas daycare laws, also known as minimum standards. An investigation conducted by the Texas Health and Human Services Child-Care Licensing Division cited the Carrollton daycare center for:
- Employing a caregiver who demonstrated a lack of competency and/or good judgment when she pulled the toddler’s cot, causing him to fall forward and sustain his mouth injuries;
- Failing to report the daycare incident to the toddler’s mother and the state; and
- Using prohibited, harsh and cruel punishment tactics when a caregiver roughly placed the toddler on his cot for a nap.
The Carrollton daycare center also opted to not seek medical attention for the toddler to treat his obvious injuries, including his swollen and punctured lip. His mother was the one to rush him to a local urgent care facility for treatment several hours after the incident occurred.
Lastly, the Carrollton daycare center initially lied to the toddler’s mother about the incident. In the attempted cover-up, caregivers provided incorrect information and had another caregiver, who was nowhere in the vicinity of the toddler, falsely corroborate the caregiver’s story about how the toddler sustained his injuries. However, the mother knew there was more to the story based on how severe her son’s injuries were.
Unfortunately, the incident involving the toddler’s injuries was not an isolated incident at this daycare center in Carrollton. The facility had more than 14 other citations from the state, spanning over four years, for similar safety issues that were raised in this legal case: failing to notify parents immediately following a child’s injury, not reporting incidents that put a child’s life or health at risk, and using unapproved disciplinary tactics.
How the Carrollton Daycare Center Was Held Accountable for Failing the Toddler and His Mother
The innocent toddler and his mother in this case experienced several hardships because of the failures at the Carrollton daycare center. Instead of being protected by the caregiver, he was traumatized by her cruel treatment and suffered severe pain from his punctured lip injury, which left him disfigured. He also developed anxiety.
His mother dealt with her own trauma after the shock of seeing her young son’s obvious and severe injuries when she picked him up from the Carrollton daycare center. Not only was her trust shattered, she amassed expensive medical bills from seeking necessary medical treatment for him at a local urgent care center.
Thanks to our daycare and childcare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm, the Carrollton daycare center was held accountable for all its wrongdoings that led to the toddler’s injuries. The toddler and his mother were awarded a settlement that compensated them for all damages, including the pain and suffering they experienced, the expensive medical bills, and the needed resources that helped the toddler process and move forward from the traumatic incident in a healthy way.
The Button Law Firm Can Help Your Family with a Daycare Abuse Case
If your child was seriously harmed because caregivers did not comply with Texas daycare safety laws, contact our experienced daycare and childcare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. With attorneys in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our lawyers at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.
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