Pennsylvania Childcare Center Shut Down, Could Face Wrongful Death Lawsuit after Child Died
The PA Department of Human Services recently shut down a Pennsylvania childcare center after an infant in care of facility staff died.
The tragic death occurred at Sharon’s Day Care, which is located in Lehigh Township, Pennsylvania. The young child, a three-month-old girl, had been dropped off at the childcare center by its mother as she ended maternity leave and returned to work for the first time since giving birth.
The circumstances of the child’s death are still being investigated, but here is what has been revealed so far: A staff member at Sharon’s Day Care had been placed in charge of watching and caring for the child during naptime. However, the staff member reportedly left the child alone – and unsupervised – for approximately half an hour. During that time, the child reportedly stopped breathing.
When the possibly negligent employee returned to the room to check on the child, she saw that the infant, resting in a crib at the time, was unresponsive. Additionally, the child’s lips were noticeably blue.
The childcare worker later spoke with investigators from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and said that she left the napping room for roughly 25 minutes so that she could tend to other children at the facility. The victim was scheduled to nap for a period of two hours.
Workers at the childcare center reportedly tried to save the infant by administering CPR. The child was then rushed to Palmerton Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive her. Sadly, doctors could not revive the child; she was pronounced dead a short time after arriving at the medical facility.
A county coroner later conducted an autopsy on the child’s body and determined that there were no external signs of trauma. At this time, it remains unclear what may have caused the infant’s death.
During the course of the day, before the death, a worker at Sharon’s Day Care contacted the victim’s mother to tell her that the child was not drinking from a bottle. The child’s mom then told the staff employee that she would leave work early and pick up the child. However, before the mother could get to the daycare center, the tragic events unfolded and the child died.
Depending on the findings of an investigation by the PA Department of Human Services, it is possible that the daycare center, and its employees, could be subject to a wrongful death lawsuit for damages.
In the meantime, the daycare facility has been closed. The shutdown came after Pennsylvania officials issued an emergency removal order because Sharon’s Day Care allegedly committed a number of violations “likely to constitute an immediate and serious danger to the life or health of the children in care.”
To learn more about this personal injury case, see the following article: Pennsylvania Day Care Closed after 3-Month-Old Dies on First Day