Daycare is meant to be a place where your child can safely learn, explore, and grow. While most daycare centers focus on the total care of the children they are responsible for, sometimes negligent operations fall through the cracks and result in serious abuse or child injuries.
Regardless of whether you believe your daycare is at fault for negligence in your child’s injury, there are several steps you’ll have to take after you get that fateful call that your child was hurt at their daycare.
Here are the basic tips for navigating the aftermath of an injury, and what you can do if you’ve determined that the injury was a result of neglect or abuse.
Document the Injury
Documenting the initial injury and daycare surroundings is essential, especially if you suspect negligence is involved.
Some documentation steps to always take include:
- Photos of the injury
- Photos of the daycare itself
- Photos of the area where the injury took place
- Collecting statements from any staff or parents that were present at the time of the injury
Documentation helps paint a picture of what actually happened and could be a huge determination of whether or not the daycare was at fault.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Whether the injury is large or small, it’s essential to take your child to a hospital or urgent care after any injury sustained at a daycare center.
One of the scariest things about daycare injuries is that they can seem like common injuries on the surface, but without medical examinations, issues like internal bleeding and broken bones can go unresolved.
If your child is in daycare, that usually means they aren’t old enough to completely articulate the extent of their injuries. A trip to a medical professional can quickly determine how serious the injury actually is, and what future treatment is necessary.
Ask for an Incident Report
No matter what the injury was, you should always demand an incident report from your daycare provider. In Texas, all daycare centers are required to report all injuries to the State of Texas.
This helps hold caregivers accountable for their actions and also serves as a reliable record of incidents if a severe injury were to ever occur on their property.
If your daycare refuses to file a report or claims that the injury is minor enough to not require one, make sure this refusal is documented and start searching for a daycare injury lawyer for further help.
Consult a Daycare Injury Attorney
If you’ve gone through all of the standard post-injury steps and come to the realization that your child’s injury could have been prevented under the right supervision, it’s time to meet with a daycare injury attorney that can help you determine if you have a credible lawsuit on your hands.
At Genthe Law Firm, our team of experienced attorneys can help you:
- Conduct further research into the background of the daycare
- Gather all essential documents and information to create a winning case
- Determine who is actually at fault; the daycare or the daycare personnel
- Fight insurance companies and those at fault to gain compensation that helps pay for medical bills, therapy, and other related costs that stem from the incident
What About No Liability Clauses?
Most daycare centers force parents to sign no-liability clauses that make it seem like the daycare is untouchable if an injury occurs on their property. Fortunately, this is not the case.
In the state of Texas, parents always have the right to bring a lawsuit against a daycare provider after their child sustains an injury.
Win the Fight Against Child Negligence Today, With Genthe Law Firm
If your child was recently injured at their daycare center, your family may be eligible to collect compensation. The daycare injury lawyers of Genthe Law Firm have the experience to help you and your child navigate the process of an injury suit and succeed at receiving the money you are owed.
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule your free consultation with a member of our firm.
