By Jonathan Safran, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The incident that resulting in a a 2-and-a-half-year-old girl being left behind in a Wisconsin Park has an Appleton, Wisconsin day care center reviewing their policies. The girl was left behind at the park for about 30 minutes.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Benjamin Janicki, a 19-year-old boy, was a summer hire as a day care aide at Park Hill United Methodist Children’s Center. According to Denver’s district attorney office, Janicki was arrested and faces at least felony counts of sexual abuse on three preschoolers. Janicki also faces three additional counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, also felonies. Parents were told that the victims were between the ages of 3 and 4-years and that there could be more.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A 2-year-old girl was seriously injured at her day care in Raleigh, North Carolina. Apparently the toddler was attempting to climb a bookcase, when the bookcase fell and hit her on top of the head. The incident is being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Human Services – specifically the supervision issue.
By Will Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Pamela Hartley, a 56-year-old woman of Hamilton County, Ohio, was sentenced to 6 months in jail and banned from working in the childcare industry ever again. Hartley was one of two women who were accused of drugging children at a Hamilton County childcare facility.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Taneshea Young, former owner of a Paducah child care center, has been scheduled for trials in state and federal court. During a hearing in McCracken District court, Young’s attorney asked that his client’s abuse case be tried after the September 13 federal trial. The motion was granted by judge Tony Kitchen, the state abuse trial is set for September 24. In state court, Young will defend against a third-degree abuse charge. The charges were filed against Young after employees of an automobile dealership found a 3-year-old sleeping in a Children’s Creative Learning Center van, which was brought in for service. The federal trial involves charges of mail fraud. To read more on this story see Former daycare owner scheduled for trial in state and federal court.
By Kevin Leach, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Virginia and other states, the summer heat poses a particularly dangerous risk to children. A child left unattended in a vehicle is at risk for serious personal injuries including death from hyperthermia, heat stroke, and other causes. Parents, day care providers, teachers, bus drivers, and others should never leave a child unattended on a vehicle for any period of time. Children lack safety awareness. This is especially true for elementary school and day care children. Schools, day care centers, and summer camps should have a policy / procedure, checklist, and a check / balance system to make sure that no children is left unattended or alone in a school bus, van, or other vehicle. Setting policies and following policies will save lives. Taking shortcuts or relying on pure memory and attention can lead to serious personal injuries to children. In Richmond, Virginia, officials are investigating an incident in which a five year child was forgotten or left on the a bus. The student was supposed to be taken to Summer Hill Elementary School. It was reported that the driver as a substitute driver who failed to or forgot to check the bus when it was parked. This was a policy in place for the school district. It is great to have policies. It is also important to train drivers on these policies and for the policies to be followed. You can read more about this story at Richmond Prosecutors and Police Investigate School Bus Incident.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A 2-year-old was left at the Lousiville Zoo during a field trip by the toddler’s daycare center. While state agencies investigate the incident, Kids Kozy Korner is banned from taking field trips. Although police say it is unclear how the child became separated from the group, they could confirm a zoo employee found the toddler alone near the entrance of the zoo and was forgotten by the daycare. Police also said it took nearly two hours to locate the daycare after they found the child. Mark Zoeller, assistant director of the Louisville Zoo, said the zoo gives out bracelets for kids to wears with space for adults to write contact information in the event a child does happen to become separated from his or her supervisor. The toddler was not wearing bracelet when she was found. After the incident, the employees who worked the field trip were fired, said another employee at the daycare. To read more on this story see Toddler left at Kentucky zoo by daycare.
By John Jensen, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A two-year-old boy was shot and killed by an accidental gun shot in Henderson, North Carolina. The child was taken to Maria Parnham Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Investigators believe the child, Timothy Atwater Jr., took the unsecured handgun from a countertop when the weapon fired. A North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website indicates the address, 491 Daniel Harris Road, where the accident occurred, is the location of a daycare center. Initial reports from 9-1-1 dispatchers also state the shooting took place at a daycare center. However, this has not been confirmed by investigators. The case is still under investigation by the sheriff’s office and Medical Examiner’s office. To read more on this story see 2-year-old dies from accidental shooting at daycare center.
By Andrew Prine, Attorney David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Governor Jennifer Granholm signed into state law Senate Bills 723 and 724, which will give parents more information about the day care providers they choose for their children. Public Act 85 will require day care providers to maintain a licensing notebook. This notebook will contain background information on the day care provider such as licensors renewals, past violations, or any special investigation that has been conducted by the Department of Human Services (DHS). This licensing notebook will be available to parents during operating hours. Also, DHS will not issue or renew a license to day care provider if there has been a past revocation of a license due to a violation that resulted in serious injury or death of a child while under the providers care. Public Act 86 will require DHS to list the number and nature of all special investigations conducted by DHS or any home classified as high risk. These new laws should provide parents with more important information about day care providers.
By Robert Chaiken, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A Texas state inspection revealed that in April 2008, staff workers at Daystar, a center for distressed children 30 miles south of Houston, provoked seven developmentally disabled girls into a fight. The staged fight resulted in biting and bruising as the staff members laughed and cheered on the spectacle. If the fight is not disturbing enough, no criminal indictments were sought against the perpetrators nor did Texas lawmakers press a state agency for answers about how this despicable act could have occurred. Instead, two staffers were quietly fired and their names have been kept secret by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
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