Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Scott Zahler, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Georgia and other States, children are the unfortunate victims every year of being left alone in a day care center bus or van. In hot weather States including Georgia and Florida, this can be especially dangerous due to the risks of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hyperthermia. Even leaving a small child in a vehicle for a few minutes can lead to serious personal injuries, and, yes, even death. It was reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution that there were more than 50 incidents of children enrolled in Georgia day care centers who were left in vehicles during a 5 year period. Temperatures climb very rapidly in a vehicle once the vehicle / air conditioning is turned off. It is known that the temperature inside a enclosed vehicle is even hotter than the temperature outside of the vehicle.
The Department of Early Care and Learning regulates and inspects Georgia day care and child care centers. Regulations should be followed but, unfortunately, often times are violated – sometimes by mistake – and – sometimes intentionally. There is a real problem with transportation of children enrolled in Georgia day care centers. In particular, children are left in day care center vans and buses. This can and does lead to serious personal injuries and, in some instances, death. See Surprising Number of Children Left in Georgia Day Care Center Vans.