Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Scott Zahler, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Clayton County, Georgia, a 2 year old toddler died after being left in a day care center van during a field trip to Chuck E. Cheese. The child was alone in the day care center van while the staff and other children were inside the restaurant / entertainment facility known as Chuck E. Cheese. When the child was later found, she was transported to Southern Regional Medical Center but she did not survive the hyperthermia / heat exposure of being left in the day care center van. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause and preventability of this child’s death but it appears that the child died as a result of the unbearable heat of the summer in Georgia which was made much worse by being left in the day care center van.
The day care center involved with this field trip was identified as Marlo’s Magnificent Early Learning Center. A simple transportation log could have and would have prevented this child’s death. The day care center and staff should have documented the name of each child on the trip upon departure and upon arrival at Chuck E. Cheese. A visual sweep of the day care center van along with proper completion of a simple transportation would have better protected the children on the field trip. See Girl, Age 2, Dies on Day Care Center Field Trip to Chuck E. Cheese.
Georgia day care centers have a duty to provide a safe and healthy environment for children. This duty extends to transportation of children and field trips. The breach of this duty could serve as a basis for a family to bring a civil lawsuit against a day care center for personal injuries and / or death resulting from the negligence of the day care center staff.
The book titled The ABCs of Child Injuries – Legal RIghts of the Injured Child – What Every Parent Should Know – has chapters on Day Care Center Injuries, Automobile Accidents, Damages / Compensation, and other topics. A free child injury book can be received at Free Child Injury Book for Parents Who Want to Know the Legal Rights When There Is An Injury to a Child. The book is also available on book readers, computers, and smart phones at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Apple iBookstore.