Our Atlanta Daycare Negligence Attorney Explains Types of Accidents
It only takes an instant for an accident to occur with children. Daycare negligence can take on many forms, whether the result of a single negligent employee or due to systemic failures by the facility to ensure your child’s safety. Common forms of negligence in daycare can occur as follows:
- Inadequate staffing or poor management
- Ignoring dietary or medical needs
- Failure to screen employees or ensure they are properly trained
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Failure to provide a safe environment or address known hazards
- Lack of safety protocols
- Failure to follow state, county, or municipal regulations
- Inadequate supervision
Choking incidents are common at daycare facilities and can result in serious injury or death. This can happen when the staff are not supervising children while they are eating, or they have easy access to known choking hazards, or the caregiver has given them food that is not appropriate for their age.
Many childcare facilities throughout Atlanta and Georgia provide transportation services. In these situations, the employees have a duty to drive safely. Accidents can occur due to the driver’s failure to pay full attention or follow the rules of the road.
Sometimes you might not realize negligence has contributed to your child’s injury. We advise the mothers, fathers, step-parents and grandparents we work with to seek guidance from an Atlanta daycare negligence attorney right after an injury. During your initial call to our office, we can determine if there is an at-fault party that should be held liable.
Proving Your Personal Injury Claim
While it may seem obvious that your daycare provider is to blame for the accident, it’s the job of your Atlanta daycare negligence attorney to prove that they were negligent. This can be more difficult than it appears. Proving these personal injury claims includes the following elements:
- The daycare facility owed you a duty of care;
- The daycare facility breached that duty;
- Your child was injured as a result of that breach; and
- Your child would not have been injured were it not for that breach.
The first element is usually easy to prove. The other elements can be more difficult. For example, in a choking case, the daycare may argue that the child was adequately supervised and the Heimlich maneuver was administered promptly. In other situations, they may argue that your child would have been injured even though they breached their duty of care. For example, the facility may have been in violation of County ordinances, but that breach did not lead to the accident. A knowledgeable Atlanta daycare negligence lawyer can evaluate your case and determine whether your daycare provider should be held accountable.
Common Child Injuries Caused by Negligence
As a parent you understand that even common, everyday items and situations can present certain hazards for young children. Without proper supervision or careful consideration, accidents can happen very easily. Here are some of the most common ways that young children are injured at daycare:
- Head injuries due to falls
- Burns from hot liquids or hot metals
- Heat exhaustion and dehydration
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Suffocation
- Injuries suffered while lost
- Injuries and death as a result of being forgotten in a vehicle on a hot day
- Choking
- Illness or death due to receiving the wrong medication or failing to provide medication
- Allergic reactions
If you suspect that your child’s injury was the result of negligence, trust your instincts and discuss your case with an experienced Atlanta daycare negligence attorney.
Accidents Can Lead to Negligent Supervision Claims in Georgia
People often think that no one is to blame in an accident. While this may hold true in some situations, it isn’t always the case. Everyone has a legal obligation to take reasonable care to prevent injuries to others. In the context of daycare, the people in charge of your child’s safety and welfare have an even higher duty to ensure that your child isn’t injured. If your child was injured due to the daycare’s negligent supervision of your child, we believe that they should be held liable for your medical expenses and other losses.
