Accidents at daycare facilities are relatively common—after all, when you put a group of infants, toddlers, and children together, falls, bumps, and bruises can occur. In some cases, however, an accident results from blatant negligence. Perhaps your child was not being watched, or perhaps there were clear safety issues at the daycare. When the daycare staff is directly responsible for your child’s accident and subsequent death, it is important that they be held accountable. One of the reasons for accountability is to ensure such an accident never happens again. Another is to receive justice on behalf of your child. A monetary settlement obviously can never make up for the loss of your child, but it can sometimes help you and your family move forward in your lives.
Daycare accident and death statistics are difficult to obtain, even though more than two-thirds of infants in the United States are in a childcare facility regularly. Insufficient investigative measures and a lack of information sharing often characterize fatalities in a daycare facility. Many parents whose children died in a daycare facility receive little or inaccurate information regarding the circumstances surrounding the death. Of course, if you believe your child’s death resulted from a criminal act, you should immediately notify your local police department. Law enforcement will assist the state licensing entity and ensure criminal charges are brought against the responsible individual.
Why Choose Finney Injury Law as Your St. Louis Daycare Wrongful Death Lawyer?
Choosing a St. Louis daycare wrongful death lawyer can seem like an overwhelming task at a time when you want nothing more than to be left alone to grieve the loss of your child. At Finney Injury Law, we understand and are compassionate about your situation. Additionally, we are a highly respected law firm that consistently places client satisfaction as our highest aim. We offer a free consultation and are available to our clients 24/7—when you need us, we’re here.
If leaving your home and traveling to one of our offices seems too busy, we can come to you. With more than 100 positive reviews from satisfied clients, we provide both English and Spanish-speaking staff and deep involvement in our communities. An award-winning trial lawyer ensures that should your case go to trial, it will be comprehensively investigated and prepared—so your family receives the verdict you deserve.
How Can Daycare Negligence Lead to Wrongful Death?
As a parent, you depend on your daycare facility to look after your child while you are away. Your assumption is that the daycare facility offers a safe environment and that your child will be cared for responsibly and carefully. Unfortunately, this is not always what occurs in daycare facilities. Far too many children end up injured or even lose their lives when daycare staff are lax, untrained, negligent, or careless. Some daycare facilities may not have ensured their staff was properly trained or licensed, or there may not be security or safety provisions in place that ensure your child’s safety.
Infants, toddlers, and young children may be fatally injured at daycare. However, infants tend to be at a higher risk because they cannot verbalize what goes on at daycare. Most fatal injuries that occur at a daycare center occur for a variety of reasons, generally centering around a lack of safety precautions or lack of supervision. The most common types of fatal daycare injuries include:
- Brain injuries or head trauma following a fall from a baby changing table, rideable toy, or playground equipment that is unsafe or inappropriate for specific ages.
- Brain injuries and other severe injuries when a bookcase or other heavy object is pulled over onto the child
- Shaken baby syndrome, causing traumatic brain injury
- Choking of a small toy, food, or another small item
- Drowning
- Poisoning from improperly stored household, automotive, or gardening chemicals
- Suffocation resulting from pillows or stuffed animals in sleeping areas
- Chemical burns from improperly stored household chemicals or cleaning products
- Thermal burns from a baby bottle warmer, electrical devices, hot stoves, or hot liquids that result in death
Daycare deaths often occur in swimming pools, indoor or outdoor playgrounds, sleeping areas, kitchens, and when a child gains access to a bathroom medicine cabinet or chemical cleaners.
What Must Be Proven in a Daycare Wrongful Death Case?
Your St. Louis daycare wrongful death case hinges on the determination of liability. The liable party could be a staff member at the daycare center, the individual who owns or operates the daycare center, or a governmental agency overseeing the daycare facility. Certain elements must be proven for a successful wrongful death case.
- A duty of care was owed by the daycare facility to you and your child
- This duty of care was breached by the daycare facility or by an employee of the facility
- This breach of duty of care was responsible for the death of your child
- There were resulting damages as a result of this breach of duty (medical expenses, funeral, and burial expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages when the actions were willful or malicious).
A knowledgeable St. Louis daycare wrongful death lawyer from Finney Injury Law can thoroughly investigate the incident that led to your child’s death, gathering and preserving evidence proving the negligent incident caused the death. Our attorneys will determine liability, working to prove that the daycare could have prevented the death of your child.
Why Should You Choose a St. Louis Daycare Wrongful Death Lawyer Near You to Help Your Family?
Once you choose to speak with a St. Louis wrongful death lawyer from Finney Injury Law following the death of your child at a St. Louis childcare facility, we’re confident you’ll know you are making the right choice. We have the trial experience necessary to ensure a verdict in your favor if the case goes to court, while our negotiating skills are unparalleled in situations where a settlement depends on those negotiation skills. We are compassionate regarding your situation and will work hard on your behalf to bring those responsible for the death of your child to justice. Contact a St. Louis wrongful death attorney from Finney Injury Law today.