Los Angeles Injury Lawyer Blog

It may be difficult for parents to let go of their children, but at some point, those kids will be in the care of someone else, whether it be a professional child care provider or babysitter. For a professional child care provider, the costs are generally higher than hiring a babysitter and those care providers may be required to go through a governmental agency for a license, or face inspections every so often. These child care providers are also responsible for any injuries that your child may suffer while in their care.

A jury in Clearwater, Florida on August 7, 2009, awarded a four year old boy $3 million in damages for an incident that occurred in 2006. The boy, son of Deon and April Esterhuizen, was in the care of a day care center called KinderCare, when his leg was broken by one of the employees. The incident occurred when the baby was squirming on the changing table and when the caregiver, Stacey Doty, became frustrated, she bent his leg until it broke. Throughout trial, there was testimony from other employees and witnesses about Doty’s inappropriate behavior toward the children. The lawsuit mainly centered on the potential that the boy could suffer brain injuries in the future from the incident. The jury awarded $250,000 for future medical costs, $750,000 for future pain and suffering and the other $2 million was awarded for punitive damages.

In this particular case involving KinderCare, the child care provider was working for a larger corporation, one that grossed $1.5 billion a year. The jury likely found negligence by the day care because there had been numerous reports of Doty’s behavior, and the company failed to monitor her properly. Has your child been injured while in the care of someone else? If so, you need to contact the attorneys at The Rudman Law Firm, PLC immediately for a free and confidential consultation. You can reach us at 1-800-252-9776 (1-800-ALAWPRO). Go to our website, www.alawpro.com to read more about these types of incidents.