Daycare abuse is a serious problem, both in Georgia and throughout the country. When your child’s daycare violates the duty owed to you and your child, you can and should file a lawsuit to seek not only compensation but also accountability and justice. Call Ruppersburg Injury & Accident Attorneys to learn how you can file a lawsuit against the daycare that harmed your child.
You Need an Attorney To Hold the Daycare Accountable
When your child has been harmed at a daycare, you owe it to both your child and others to take action. An attorney can help your family file a lawsuit to hold the daycare accountable and seek compensation on behalf of your child.
Warning Signs of Daycare Abuse
If your child says anything that leads you to believe they are being abused, you must take immediate and appropriate action. If the child doesn’t communicate well, it may be up to the parents to detect signs of daycare abuse and to act. The first step is to report the daycare to both the state and law enforcement immediately.
Signs of daycare abuse can include:
- Significant changes in your child’s sleep pattern
- Emotional disturbances and differences in your child’s personality
- Extreme fear when they are being dropped off at daycare
- Unexplained bruises and potential fractures
- Withdrawal from activities they previously enjoyed
- Flinching in response to movements
- Becoming extremely clingy to adults
Parents need to be extremely vigilant when their child’s well-being is at stake. If your fears are substantiated, you can and should take legal action against the daycare.
Types of Daycare Abuse
Daycare abuse can take many forms:
Physical – Staff can strike children or become very rough with them physically, causing an injury.
Emotional – A staff member can harshly berate a child in an extreme manner that causes psychological damage.
Sexual – Children may be sexually abused or assaulted by staff members or may be touched inappropriately.
Neglect – The child could be left unsupervised by staff and suffer an injury that could have otherwise been prevented.
In any case of daycare abuse, your child may be entitled to financial compensation if they have been injured.
Holding the Daycare Accountable for the Abuse of Your Child
The daycare would be liable to your child and family under several legal theories. The employer is liable for any actions of the employee committed within the scope of their employment. This means that if the daycare worker abuses your child, you can hold their employer accountable and sue them for what they did. The employer will generally be in a position to pay greater damages.
The daycare has a legal obligation to screen potential employees. At a minimum, they must check the employees’ criminal history and references. The daycare must also properly supervise employees and has a legal obligation to prevent abuse.
You must gather the proof necessary to show that abuse occurred. Once you can prove the employee has abused your child, you could be in a position to recover financial compensation.
Damages in a Daycare Abuse Lawsuit
Your child may have suffered serious long-term emotional or physical injuries from daycare abuse, and may not be able to live a normal life because of what they experienced at the daycare, which could lead to them needing additional care in the future. The law requires that the daycare pay full compensation for all of the effects of any abuse that occurred.
Daycare lawsuit damages can include:
- Medical expenses
- The cost of special education if needed
- Adaptive equipment to help the child with activities of daily life
- The cost of care for a child
- Lost wages the parents incur by having to take off from work
- Emotional distress, including the post-traumatic stress disorder the child might live with for the rest of their life
- Embarrassment and humiliation
- Scarring and disfigurement
Your child is entitled to be paid for all damages they may incur for the rest of their life. Accordingly, daycare injury settlements and awards can be extremely high.
Depending on the daycare’s egregious actions, it may be subject to a punitive damages verdict if your case goes to trial. Knowing the extent of its liability could put it out of business, the daycare may be more likely to settle.
Contact Our Experienced Athens Daycare Abuse Lawyers Today
If your child has been a victim of abuse at an Athens daycare, Ruppersburg Injury & Accident Attorneys can hold the daycare center accountable. We can get justice for your child and family in the form of financial compensation. Contact an attorney early in the process so that we can launch an extensive investigation and discuss your family’s legal options. To schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney, send us a message through our website or call us today at 706.354.1000. Like any personal injury attorney, we are not paid until and unless you win your case.
