Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Steven Smith, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In New York and other states, parents have both a legal and moral duty to properly supervise and protect their children. Small children should not be left alone at home because circumstances can arise that require parental supervision and intervention. One such circumstance is a fire. When a fire happens, small children often times do not know what to do or where to go. In many instances, children left alone when a a fire strikes and then engulfs a house suffer serious personal injuries and some even die. In Rochester, New York, Nicole Allen left three of her children home alone at midnight to go get beer. Yes, this mother left in the middle of the night on a beer run. A three year old died in the blaze. Two other children (a toddler and a newborn) suffered serious burn injuries. The fire took place in 2008.
To leave three small children home alone is really negligent and selfish. Ms. Allen’s defense attorney may argue that she had no intent to harm her children. However, Ms. Allen can still be prosecuted if her conduct amounted to a reckless indifference to the health, safety and welfare of her children. You can read more about this story at New York Mother Arrested for Leaving Children Alone at Home – One Child Dies.