In recent years, Texas has seen some of its most extreme weather on record, with several consecutive days of dangerously high and low temperatures that shatter previous records.
Unfortunately, the actions of negligent daycare centers across the state are endangering children through their negligent actions like leaving kids outside on playgrounds and not accounting for them when they’re unable to open the center’s doors, locking them outside when temperatures are extremely hot or cold. In fact, these incidents of daycare neglect happen more often than you can imagine. In a single year, the state of Texas conducted 1,074 daycare neglect-related incidents for children younger than 5 years old, according to the most recent report from the state’s Health and Human Services agency.
Our Texas daycare injury lawyers want to raise parents’ awareness around this important issue because the consequences of little bodies being left outside in extreme temperatures while in daycare can seriously impact a child’s health and potentially turn fatal.
Common Ways Children Get Left Outside in Extreme Temperatures at Texas Daycare Centers
Before we delve into how these neglect incidents harm children, let’s explore how they happen at Texas daycare centers in the first place.
Ultimately, a lack of supervision by caregivers is the root cause of daycare neglect incidents involving children being left outside on daycare playgrounds and locked out of a center for prolonged amounts of time. The ratio of caregivers to children in a daycare classroom plays a pivotal role in the proper supervision of little ones. Teachers can closely watch all children in their care when daycare centers maintain adequate staff and cap the number of kids in each classroom.
Other causes of neglect incidents in extreme weather include daycare centers choosing not to follow state-mandated safety protocols, known as minimum standards, such as:
- Ensuring caregivers complete required training to be knowledgeable about supervision and safety policies to keep children safe and prevent neglect incidents
- Performing face-to-name headcounts when children transition to and from a playground or another classroom
- Properly documenting and accounting for children transferred between classrooms
- Securing the daycare center’s premises, including ensuring doors at the center cannot be opened by little ones to wander and the facility is constantly monitored, and repairing any gaps or holes in fencing around the center’s perimeter
Use our free daycare safety guide to learn about the important questions to ask your child’s daycare center to ensure it’s complying with all guidelines and minimum standards that help prevent children from being neglected outside of daycare centers.
Dangers of a Child’s Exposure to Extreme Temperatures at Negligent Daycare Centers
Through our work helping families hold negligent daycare centers accountable, our daycare injury lawyers have seen how little ones can be seriously injured when they are exposed to extremely hot and cold temperatures for an extended amount of time.
When it comes to extremely hot temperatures, young children can be harmed by:
- Dehydration
- Heatstroke, a form of hyperthermia that causes a child’s body to overheat
- Increased or a rapid heart rate
- Loss of balance causing a little one to fall and hit his or her head on playground equipment, a sidewalk, or other hard surface
In cold temperatures, especially when young children are left outside without the proper protective attire, little ones can experience:
- Disabled brain activity that makes a child unable to think clearly or move the body properly
- Frostbite to fingers and toes that may result in an amputation
- Hypothermia, causing the body to use up all of its stored energy and drop its temperature
- Increased risk of developing asthma
Watch this video to learn the common signs that your child was neglected, including being exposed to extremely hot and cold temperatures for prolonged periods of time while in the care of a Texas daycare center.
Filling a Lawsuit After a Negligent Daycare Center Exposes a Child to Extreme Temperatures
Your family may have the option to file a lawsuit to hold the daycare responsible if it caused your child to be exposed to extreme temperatures for a prolonged period of time. Pursuing legal action enables parents like you to get answers, seek justice, and potentially, compensation.
In Texas, you have two years from the time of the incident to file a lawsuit to seek compensation, also known as damages, and hold the daycare center accountable for its negligence. Parents may be compensated for the following damages:
- Emotional distress
- Medical expenses, including a child’s ongoing or future medical treatments and therapy
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages from missing work while serving as a caregiver for a child recovering from their injuries
Do you have more questions about taking legal action after a child was neglected in extreme heat or cold weather at a daycare center in Texas? Call us at 214-699-4409 or email us at [email protected]. Our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers will listen and determine the best way to help you and your family move forward.
Success Stories: How We Have Helped Texas Families After Daycare Neglect Incidents in Extreme Temperatures
Our daycare injury lawyers have helped many families across the Lone Star State move forward after traumatic daycare neglect incidents that occur on extremely hot and cold days. Check out some of our wins for families with these cases:
- School Left Toddler Outside in Near-Freezing Temperatures
- Plano Daycare Settles Neglect Case After Toddler Left on Playground in Texas Heat for 2-Plus Hours
- BLF Represents Texas Family Whose Child Was Left Outside in the Cold by Daycare
How The Button Law Firm Can Help After a Daycare Neglects a Child and Leaves Them Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures
Our knowledgeable and compassionate daycare injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm are dedicated to holding negligent daycare centers accountable when a child is neglected outdoors in extreme temperatures. With attorneys in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our 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 consultation.
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