Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Child Poisoning Due to Daycare Negligence (Part A)
Risks of Child Poisoning at Daycare Centers is High
Those who work in caring for youngsters are, or should be, trained to be aware of child poisoning and to strive each day to prevent an accidental poisoning from occurring.
Duty of Care
You place your baby or toddler under a childcare center’s protection because you must, and the law recognizes this special circumstance as a heightened “duty of care” relationship. When a worker is ill-equipped or inattentive and fails in watching over your child, a Boston personal injury lawsuit may be filed on grounds of daycare negligence.
Why are childcare facilities so susceptible to cases of accidental poisoning?
The majority of children in daycares are five years of age or less, putting them in the number-one risk group for unintentional poison injury.
Children five and under are:
- In critical stages of physical and mental development
- In exploratory phases that lead to tasting and ingesting
- Drawn to objects that are colorful which may be toxic
- Too young to understand the concept of danger and printed warnings
- Possibly old enough to tolerate reduced supervision
All of these factors can combine to create a window of opportunity for your child to find a toxic substance, place it in his or her mouth, and absorb or swallow it.
Child-resistant packaging and special daycare regulations attempt to reduce the incidence of exposure to poisons, but facility staff are ultimately responsible for the welfare of your child.
If Child Poisoning Has Changed Your Life
In addition to a growing child’s vulnerability to toxic elements, the wide variety of substances that are potentially available on daycare premises establishes risk.
Your child may be exposed to tainted foods, cleaning products, lead poison, carbon monoxide and other threats to his or her health and development.
Following a poisoning, a negligent or uninformed staff member may not recognize the symptoms of poisoning or know what to do. Delayed action can be as devastating as no action in cases as diverse as peanut butter and carbon monoxide poisoning.
A serious child accident can devastate and completely change your child’s life as well as your family’s lives. If your child has been injured in by poisoning or hurt by a defective product in Boston, Massachusetts you should contact an experienced child injury lawyer to determine liability.
The State of Massachusetts has a statute of limitations that may prohibit you from filing a lawsuit if too much time has passed. Speak to a Massachusetts child injury lawyer at Kiley Law Group for guidance on your personal injury case.
Continue to Child Poisoning Due to Daycare Negligence (Part B)
