Discovering that your child has been mistreated by someone entrusted with their care can be devastating. If this happened to you, a Maryland personal injury lawyer can help you pursue damages.
Jenner Law has been representing injury victims and their families since 2017. If your child was abused, injured, or neglected at a day care center, a day care abuse lawyer in Maryland can help you take legal action and secure compensation.
Why Hire a Maryland Day Care Abuse Lawyer?
If your child suffers abuse or neglect at a day care in Maryland, you may be able to pursue compensation from the people or organizations responsible for the harm.
A Maryland day care abuse lawyer can help by:
- Collecting evidence: We can gather incident reports, surveillance footage, witness testimony, and other evidence to prove what happened and who is at fault.
- Calculating your damages: We can calculate your short-term and long-term losses and determine the value of your claim.
- Handling insurance companies: We can manage conversations with insurers, review settlement offers, and protect your family’s interests during negotiations.
- Litigating your case: If a fair settlement cannot be reached, we can represent your family in court.
For a free legal consultation with a day care abuse lawyer call,
(888) 585-2188
What Types of Compensation Can Families Recover?
The damages available to you will depend on the nature and severity of the harm your child suffered, the evidence supporting your claim, and other case-specific factors. You may be able to obtain compensation for:
- Medical expenses: You may recover compensation for your child’s emergency treatment, hospital stays, physician appointments, medication, and other necessary healthcare services.
- Future medical care: You can seek compensation for the anticipated cost of ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, psychological counseling, or specialized care for your child.
- Pain and suffering: You may recover damages for the physical pain, discomfort, and suffering your child experienced because of the incident.
- Emotional distress: You may receive compensation for the psychological harm your child suffered, including anxiety, fear, and trauma.
- Loss of normal activities: If the abuse affects your child’s ability to participate in age-appropriate activities or enjoy everyday experiences, additional compensation may be awarded.
- Punitive damages: If you can prove that the defendant acted with actual malice, you may be entitled to punitive damages.
How Long Do You Have to File a Day Care Abuse Lawsuit in Maryland?
According to Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code § 5-101, you typically have three years from the date your child was harmed to file a personal injury lawsuit for day care abuse. Your child also has until they turn 21 to bring a lawsuit on their own. If sexual abuse occurred, there is no deadline for filing a lawsuit.
Exceptions and different deadlines may apply in certain scenarios, such as if you didn’t discover your child’s injuries right away. A day care abuse attorney in Maryland can assess your case and determine how much time you have left to file a personal injury lawsuit in Maryland.
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Who Can Be Held Liable for Day Care Abuse in Maryland?
Depending on the circumstances, multiple individuals or organizations may share responsibility for your child’s mistreatment at a day care center.
Potentially liable parties include:
- Day care employees: An individual caregiver may be personally liable for intentionally abusing your child or acting negligently in a way that causes injury.
- Day care operators: A facility or its owner may be responsible for negligent hiring, inadequate training, insufficient supervision, or failures to address known safety problems.
- Corporate day care organizations: A company operating multiple facilities may face liability if its own policies, management decisions, or failures contribute to the abuse or neglect.
- Property owners: A property owner may be liable if a dangerous condition on the premises contributed to your child’s injuries.
- Third-party contractors: An outside service provider or its employee may be responsible if their misconduct or negligence harmed your child.
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What Constitutes Day Care Abuse and Neglect?
Day care abuse occurs when a child is subjected to harmful treatment by an employee, caregiver, or another person responsible for their care. Neglect involves failing to provide the supervision, attention, or basic necessities a child needs to remain safe and healthy.
Common examples of day care abuse and neglect include:
- Physical abuse: This involves hitting, slapping, shaking, pushing, or using excessive force to discipline a child.
- Emotional abuse: This may include repeatedly threatening, humiliating, intimidating, or verbally degrading a child in a way that can cause significant psychological harm.
- Sexual abuse: This refers to sexual contact, molestation, exploitation, or other inappropriate sexual conduct involving a child.
- Inadequate supervision: This involves leaving young children unattended, failing to monitor interactions, or allowing children to enter dangerous areas.
- Neglect of basic needs: Neglect can mean failing to provide adequate food, water, appropriate clothing, or necessary medical attention.
- Improper restraint: This refers to the use of physical restraints in an unauthorized or dangerous manner that causes injury or distress.
- Failure to prevent bullying: Ignoring repeated harmful behavior between children can constitute neglect.
Common Signs of Day Care Abuse
Young children may not have the language or confidence to explain what happened to them at day care. Some may be unable to identify an abusive person or understand that their treatment was inappropriate.
For these reasons, it’s important to be vigilant of the following signs of mistreatment:
- Unexplained physical injuries: Bruises, burns, cuts, bite marks, or other injuries may indicate that your child has experienced physical abuse.
- Sudden behavioral changes: Unusual aggression, withdrawal, anxiety, excessive crying, or a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities may indicate that your child is experiencing emotional distress.
- Fear of day care: A child who becomes distressed before drop-off, resists attending day care, or shows fear toward a particular caregiver may be reacting to an unsafe or frightening experience.
- Sleep disturbances: Nightmares, difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, or other sudden changes in sleeping habits can develop in children who have experienced abuse or trauma.
- Regression: Returning to behaviors associated with an earlier developmental stage, such as bedwetting, separation anxiety, or difficulty communicating, may be a response to emotional distress.
- Changes in eating habits: A sudden loss of appetite, refusal to eat, or an unusual fear of mealtimes may indicate that your child is experiencing neglect, anxiety, or other problems at day care.
- Sexualized behavior: Sexual knowledge, language, or behaviors that are not typical for your child’s age or developmental stage may be a sign of sexual abuse.
Why Choose Jenner Law?
At Jenner Law, we understand the emotional toll that day care abuse and neglect can have on children and their families, and our team is committed to holding negligent caregivers and day care facilities accountable.
When you work with us, you can expect:
- A compassionate approach: We understand how difficult it can be to discuss sensitive cases involving child abuse, particularly sexual abuse. We will treat your family with compassion, respect, and care while working to protect your child’s privacy and best interests.
- Trauma-informed training: Our lawyers and paralegals have received trauma and cognitive interview training at the Center for Hope, which means we know how to handle sensitive cases involving children and other vulnerable individuals.
- Thorough investigations: We’ll dig deep into the circumstances surrounding your child’s injuries and identify every responsible party.
- Contingency fee representation: We handle day care abuse cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not pay any attorney’s fees upfront.
- Extensive day care abuse experience: We have helped many families pursue justice for day care abuse, including a couple whose child suffered burn injuries because of neglect. We know how to hold these facilities accountable.
Talk to a Day Care Abuse Attorney in Maryland
Learning that your child has been abused at a day care center can make you feel powerless, but you have legal options. A Maryland day care abuse attorney from Jenner Law can investigate the abuse or neglect, collect evidence that supports your claim, and help hold those responsible accountable.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with an experienced attorney.
Call or text (888) 585-2188 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form