One of the most gut-wrenching experiences you can go through as a parent is receiving a phone call that your child has suffered an injury at daycare. Parents put their faith in the staff and owners of daycare facilities, trusting that they will operate according to the highest standards of care to ensure the safety of children. Unfortunately, negligent and careless parties result in daycare injuries in Tampa Bay every year. If your child was hurt due to unsanitary conditions, inadequate supervision, or unsafe premises at a daycare center, you have rights as a parent.
Frequent Causes of Daycare Injuries
Upon receiving the news that a child has been hurt at daycare, most parents’ first reaction is to wonder whom to blame. While not every daycare injury stems from someone else’s negligence, many incidents do have a responsible party. Careless staff members or poor facility management can easily lead to injured children and lawsuits. Our Tampa injury lawyers understand the common hazards for children at daycare centers. These include:
- Faulty playground equipment
- Access to staircases or hazardous objects/materials
- Unsupervised access to swimming pools
- Lack of supervision
- Inadequate provider-child ratio
- Abusive staff members
- Unsanitary conditions
- Obstacles that cause trips and falls
- Food poisoning
- Unsafe buildings
- Dangerous furniture
- Toys with small parts
- Uncovered electrical outlets
- Delay in medical care
Negligent staff members and daycare owners often cause daycare injuries. Standards of care are very stringent in childcare settings. Every daycare in Tampa Bay must abide by strict rules, regulations, and safety codes to make premises safe for small children. Failing to abide by accepted standards of care in a daycare center can easily lead to catastrophic and traumatic childhood injury.
In an unsafe daycare center, children can suffer slip and fall injuries, electrocution, burn injuries, poisoning, abuse, neglect, and a myriad of other devastating injuries – all because of someone else’s negligence. Luckily, Florida law gives parents the right to stand up against negligent daycare centers in the civil court system.
Who Is Responsible for Daycare Injuries?
If any negligence-related circumstances caused your child’s injury, you may be able to collect compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Don’t let a waiver of liability trick you into thinking you’ve signed away your rights to file a claim against a daycare center. These waivers are often not valid during daycare injury lawsuits, as they do not protect the daycare from liability in cases where negligence caused the injury.
When an individual staff member causes injury, such as with abusive behaviors or failure to supervise children, the victim’s parents may be able to sue the individual person for negligence. If, however, the daycare facility is at fault, the parents can identify the center itself as the defendant. A daycare center may be responsible for child injuries if it has negligent hiring, training, or retention practices. Retaining a staff member with a known history of being intoxicated on the job for example, can lead to liability if the employee is intoxicated while a child runs into the road getting struck by a vehicle.
Contact a Tampa Daycare Injury Lawyer Today
For legal help assigning fault and proving liability in the Tampa Bay courts for your child’s daycare injury, contact Fiol & Morros Law Group. Use our free initial consultation to discuss your case with an experienced and passionate daycare injury and premise liability lawyer in Tampa. We will let you know whether we believe you have a personal injury or premises liability case against the daycare or an employee, and help you with the claims process if applicable. No child should suffer a daycare injury in silence. Be your child’s advocate in the fight against negligence and take the first step toward justice today. Call (813) 223-6773.