Why Texas Daycare Centers Are Leaving Children in Hot Vans: Unveiling the Root Causes

Are Cases Where Children Are Left in Hot Vans Preventable? 

Yes. This can be prevented 100% of the time. 

With advocacy and accountability, we can ensure that such tragedies never occur. However, despite the simplicity of the solution, these incidents continue to happen, prompting us to delve deeper into understanding why and how they occur and what measures can be taken to safeguard our most vulnerable passengers.

What Should We Expect Texas Daycare Centers to Do to Prevent Hot Van Injuries?

At a minimum, our Texas daycare injury attorney and our legal team expect daycare centers to have the following:

• A system in place to ensure that all kids are safe and accounted for and the vehicle is checked and locked up.
• Documentation of a checklist that includes the names of all kids who were in the van. Daycare workers need to ensure that each and every child is accounted for when getting out of the vehicle. 
• There must always be at least two or more employees verifying that every child is off the vehicle before shutting the doors and locking it for the day. Having that second set of eyes can prevent a fatal injury. 
• Accountability must be in place to ensure that all kids are protected and safe.

Why Are Kids Being Left in Vans While Attending Daycare?

Unfortunately, we have seen a trend of kids being left on vans at daycare centers throughout Texas. This is happening for a few different reasons, but the main reason is that there is no system in place to track the kids and ensure the van is locked and cleared to prevent re-entry into the van.

Here are a few of the reasons we are seeing kids being left on the vans:

• No system for checking as the kids are walking off the van and into the building. Then, no system for checking kids once entering the room to double-check.
• No system for checking the van with a second set of eyes.
• No system for locking the van after it has been checked by a second employee.
• No system for counting and documenting all kids present on the roster once inside.

Kids should never be left in a van for any amount of time. This is completely preventable. When kids are left in vehicles, they can be seriously harmed in a variety of ways. Everything from heatstroke, PTSD, anxiety attacks, separation anxiety, abandonment fears, internal organ damage, and death.

What Can Be Done About Daycare Centers Leaving Children in Vans?

Report to the police and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services that your child was left in a van, even if you don’t know how long, so it gets investigated by the state. This allows the state of Texas investigation group that regulates daycare centers to get involved. We need this so that these events are documented. If you need to learn more about how to make an incident report, read our article, Lessons Learned About Making Incident Reports At A Texas Daycare Center.

What Can The Button Law Firm Do to Help?

Anytime we take on a case, we immediately make sure the State of Texas has been involved as well. We send a letter to preserve all videos and documentation evidence to the daycare center. This allows us to eventually get our hands on that evidence before anything can be destroyed or tampered with. We also make sure to get statements from as many people as we can about the event and prior notice.

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Contacting The Button Law Firm After a Hot Van Injury or Death

If your child suffered a serious injury or death because caregivers neglected to follow daycare safety laws, contact our knowledgeable daycare injury attorneys 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 attorneys 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 to tell us your story.