In May 2022, caregivers at a daycare center in Tyler, Texas, allowed a 4-year-old girl’s genitals to be exposed while in a play structure on the facility’s playground. She was then sexually abused when her peers inappropriately touched and groped her on the playground.
The young girl’s mother immediately involved our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. Our legal team held the negligent daycare center in Tyler accountable for failing to comply with numerous childcare laws that enabled the young girl to be violated. Our firm was able to secure a settlement that provided ongoing resources to help the little girl heal from the psychological damages caused by the daycare sexual abuse incident.
How Was a Child Sexually Abused at the Tyler Daycare Center?
At the Tyler daycare center, it was common practice for caregivers on the playground to stand and chat at a gate instead of carefully watching the children. The play structure where the little girl was sexually abused was frequently used as a restroom by multiple children at the facility. The Tyler Center and its caregivers were aware of this unsafe and unhygienic practice yet chose not to remove the play structure or increase supervision in this playground area.
Another caregiver at the Tyler facility admitted that a large tree on the playground hindered workers' ability to properly watch little ones playing regularly.
The daycare center in Tyler is required to follow childcare laws, known as the minimum standards, that address every aspect of childcare to ensure little ones are not harmed. The proper supervision of children at a daycare center is key among the standards, as caregivers failing to do so is often the root cause of serious daycare incidents, just like the sexual abuse incident in this case.
Adequate supervision allows caregivers to spot hazards or dangerous situations quickly and intervene to protect children. In this case, if caregivers had closely watched the little girl and her peers, they could have prevented the horrific abuse from happening.
However, an independent investigation by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services found that the Tyler daycare center caregivers did not comply with supervision requirements. During the visit to the Tyler daycare center, the state agency observed four students inside the structure using the restroom without a teacher nearby.
The sexual abuse of the young girl was not the Tyler daycare center’s first safety failure. The facility had received nine other citations from the state, ranging from caregivers not completing required training to numerous instances of the center not operating in compliance with childcare laws.
Sadly, the little girl in this case suffered horrific consequences of the Tyler daycare center’s negligence and failure to operate safely.
How Did The Button Law Firm Help the Child Move Forward Being Sexually Abused at the Daycare Center in Tyler?
Sexual abuse incidents at daycare centers are among the worst crimes against children. No matter if the predator is a caregiver at the facility or another child, these crimes have lifelong impacts on survivors and long roads to recovery for them and their families.
As you can imagine, the little girl suffered a high degree of distress following her abuse, which manifested in her regressing developmentally. She began speaking like a baby and developed a stammer. She even clung to her mother more and had a hard time regulating her emotions—breaking into crying spells and becoming fearful for no apparent reason.
The young girl also issued unprompted warnings to people near her, telling them not to take off her clothes. To change, the child would hide in a bathroom to protect her body and remain out of sight.
Our Texas daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm fought to get justice for this young girl and her mother. We held the Tyler daycare accountable for all of its failures that caused the girl’s horrific experience and trauma by securing compensation that covered all of the damages they suffered. Thankfully, the girl was able to access long-term resources to help her process the sexual abuse incident and move forward healthily.
The Button Law Firm Can Help Get Justice After a Child is Sexually Abused at a Daycare Center
If a child was sexually abused at a daycare center in Texas, contact our experienced daycare 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 you move forward. Our legal team at The Button Law Firm is 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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