Harris County law enforcement detained a daycare driver and chaperone on July 19 after a father discovered his 3-year-old son forgotten in a daycare van after a field trip.
Houston’s KPRC reports that the boy was left in the vehicle from around 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. when his father arrived to pick him up from the daycare facility. Sadly, the father found his son unresponsive and left without ventilation on the bus for nearly four hours. Temperatures inside the van reached 113 degrees.
In spite of the facility’s policies, daycare providers broke routine and failed to take an accurate count of the children returning from the field. Constable Alan Rosen said that boy did not get off the bus with the other children. However, daycare records show daycare workers marked the child accounted for upon the bus’ return from the field trip.
“Every day, I see the bus come in and, diligently, the drivers drop the kids off and count them. You know, when they’re loading them, they’re counting them on and off the bus,” witness Kenneth Brooks said. “On this particular day, I saw them get off the bus and she was just ushering them off the bus.”
Later, Brooks saw the daycare owner and the child’s father come out of the building screaming.
Rosen said the tragedy serves as a reminder to double-check vehicles before they get out. Moreover, hot car and daycare van deaths are completely avoidable.
News outlets report that Discovering Me Academy received several citations in 2015 related to their van. One citation was for not having an electronic safety alarm to alert drivers if a child is left in a daycare van.
The Carlson Law Firm Can Help
Children are not the only victims of heatstroke in daycare vans. These deaths are completely preventable if childcare providers are thorough in accounting for children. That said, there should be zero news reports of care facilities forgetting students or patients in company vehicles. Leaving vulnerable populations inside cars, vans and buses for extended periods is negligence. In addition, most of the time this type of negligence often results in death.
If someone you love has been killed due to the neglect of another it is important you contact an attorney as soon as possible. You may receive compensation for the medical bills, pain, suffering and other damages. At The Carlson Law Firm, we can help you prove the other person is at fault through a detailed look at the case. Contact us today for a free consultation.
