Chicago Daycare Injury Lawyer

Chicago Daycare Injury Lawyers Families Trust

When you drop your child off at daycare, you expect them to be safe. You trust the staff to watch over them, keep them out of harm’s way, and respond quickly if something goes wrong. Most of the time, that trust is honored. But when it isn’t, the consequences can be devastating. Broken bones, head injuries, burns, abuse, and even wrongful death, these are the realities that some Chicago families face every year because a daycare failed to do its job.

Table of Contents

• Chicago Daycare Injury Lawyers Families Trust
• Physical Injuries Children Suffer at Chicago Daycares
• Injuries From Unsafe Conditions and Equipment at Chicago Daycares
• Medical and Health-Related Harm at Chicago Daycares
• Abuse, Neglect, and Misconduct by Daycare Staff
• What Causes Daycare Accidents and Who Is Responsible
• Types of Childcare Facilities and Children We Represent

At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, we believe every child deserves a safe place to learn and grow. Our firm has spent decades fighting for injured children and their families across Chicago and throughout Illinois. We know how overwhelming it feels to discover your child was hurt, neglected, or abused while in someone else’s care. We also know how to hold negligent daycares accountable under Illinois law.

Illinois daycares are governed by The Illinois Child Care Act of 1969, which sets the legal framework for how childcare facilities must operate. A license issued by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) authorizes child care facilities to operate in accordance with applicable standards and the provisions of the Child Care Act of 1969. When a daycare breaks these rules, and a child gets hurt, our attorneys are ready to act. We handle cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win. Call us today for a free consultation.

This page is your guide to everything Briskman Briskman & Greenberg handles in the area of Chicago daycare injury law. Use the sections below to find the topic most relevant to your situation, then contact us to speak with an attorney who can help.

Physical Injuries Children Suffer at Chicago Daycares

Children are active, curious, and sometimes fragile. At a well-run daycare, staff anticipate risks and prevent injuries before they happen. At a negligent one, children suffer injuries that should never occur. Our firm handles the full range of physical injuries that children sustain in Chicago daycare settings, and we know how to build strong cases on your child’s behalf.

Head injuries are among the most serious we see. A fall from a changing table, a collision on the playground, or a violent act by a staff member can result in a traumatic brain injury at a Chicago daycare, a concussion at a Chicago daycare, or even a skull fracture at a Chicago daycare. These injuries can affect a child’s development for years. Illinois Department of Public Health data tracks falls and traumatic brain injury emergency department visits for children, and the numbers are a serious concern for parents across the state.

Broken bones are also common. We handle cases involving arm and wrist fractures at Chicago daycares, leg and ankle fractures at Chicago daycares, and nursemaid’s elbow at Chicago daycares, a painful joint injury that often happens when a caregiver pulls a toddler’s arm too hard. Burns are another serious concern. Whether caused by hot liquids, cleaning chemicals, or rough surfaces, we represent children who have suffered scald burns at Chicago daycares, chemical burns at Chicago daycares, and friction and rug burns at Chicago daycares.

We also handle cases involving choking injuries at Chicago daycares, drowning and near-drowning at Chicago daycares, spinal cord injuries at Chicago daycares, eye injuries and vision loss at Chicago daycares, ear injuries and hearing loss at Chicago daycares, internal injuries and organ damage at Chicago daycares, facial injuries and scarring at Chicago daycares, amputation and loss of limb at Chicago daycares, electrical shock injuries at Chicago daycares, and animal bites at Chicago daycares. No matter what type of physical harm your child suffered, our team is ready to investigate and pursue every dollar of compensation available under Illinois law.

Injuries From Unsafe Conditions and Equipment at Chicago Daycares

Many daycare injuries happen not because of a single reckless act, but because the facility itself is unsafe. Broken playground equipment, unstable furniture, defective toys, and slippery floors all create conditions where children get hurt. Illinois DCFS licensing standards require daycares to maintain safe premises, and when they fail to do so, they can be held legally responsible.

Outdoor play areas are a frequent source of injury. Playground equipment injuries at Chicago daycares are far too common, and so are slide and swing injuries at Chicago daycares and climbing structure falls at Chicago daycares. Inside the facility, hazards are just as real. We handle cases involving falls from changing tables at Chicago daycares, crib and bassinet injuries at Chicago daycares, high chair injuries at Chicago daycares, door and finger entrapment injuries at Chicago daycares, and furniture tip-over injuries at Chicago daycares.

Falls of all kinds are a leading cause of childhood injury. We represent children hurt in slip and fall injuries at Chicago daycares, trip and fall injuries at Chicago daycares, and stairway fall injuries at Chicago daycares. Toys are another serious hazard. Defective toy injuries at Chicago daycares can cause cuts, choking, and worse. So can small parts and swallowing injuries at Chicago daycares and magnet and battery ingestion injuries at Chicago daycares, which can cause life-threatening internal damage. If your child was hurt by an unsafe condition or piece of equipment at their daycare, we want to hear from you.

Medical and Health-Related Harm at Chicago Daycares

Not all daycare injuries leave visible marks. Some of the most serious harm children suffer is health-related, the result of poisoning, illness, exposure to dangerous substances, or a caregiver’s failure to respond to a medical emergency. Illinois law holds daycares to a high standard of care, and when they fall short, families have the right to pursue compensation.

We handle cases involving medication errors at Chicago daycares, failure to administer emergency medication at Chicago daycares, and allergic reactions and anaphylaxis at Chicago daycares. A staff member who ignores a known allergy or fails to use an EpiPen can put a child’s life at risk. We also represent families affected by food poisoning and foodborne illness at Chicago daycares and communicable disease outbreaks at Chicago daycares.

Environmental hazards are a growing concern in Chicago’s older buildings. Lead poisoning at Chicago daycares, asbestos exposure at Chicago daycares, and mold and environmental illness at Chicago daycares can cause lasting health damage that isn’t immediately obvious. We also handle cases involving poisoning from chemicals and cleaning products at Chicago daycares, heatstroke and hot car deaths at Chicago daycares, hypothermia and cold exposure at Chicago daycares, dehydration at Chicago daycares, and secondhand smoke exposure at Chicago daycares. We also represent families in cases involving SIDS and sleep-related deaths at Chicago daycares and unsafe sleep practice injuries at Chicago daycares. Infants must sleep in safe, sturdy, freestanding cribs or portable cribs under DCFS rules. When daycares ignore this requirement, the results can be fatal.

Abuse, Neglect, and Misconduct by Daycare Staff

The thought of a child being abused at daycare is every parent’s worst fear. Sadly, it happens. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional cruelty, and neglect all occur in Chicago daycare settings. When a daycare worker harms a child, both the individual and the facility can be held accountable in a civil lawsuit, separate from any criminal proceedings.

Our firm handles cases involving physical abuse by Chicago daycare workers, sexual abuse and molestation at Chicago daycares, and emotional and verbal abuse at Chicago daycares. We also represent children harmed by shaken baby syndrome at Chicago daycares and abusive head trauma at Chicago daycares. These are among the most serious injuries we see, and we pursue them with full force.

Neglect takes many forms. Supervisory neglect at Chicago daycares, medical neglect at Chicago daycares, nutritional neglect and starvation at Chicago daycares, and hygiene neglect at Chicago daycares are all actionable under Illinois law. We also handle cases involving corporal punishment at Chicago daycares, unlawful restraint and timeout room injuries at Chicago daycares, duct tape and binding abuse cases at Chicago daycares, and bullying and peer-on-peer violence at Chicago daycares. We also pursue claims when a daycare fails in its basic duty of custody, such as leaving a child unattended at Chicago daycares, leaving a child in a vehicle at Chicago daycares, releasing a child to an unauthorized adult at Chicago daycares, and failing to release a child to an authorized parent at Chicago daycares. Children may not be left unattended at any time under Illinois DCFS licensing standards. Violations of this rule are serious and actionable.

What Causes Daycare Accidents and Who Is Responsible

Daycare injuries rarely happen by pure chance. In most cases, they are the result of systemic failures, things the daycare owner, manager, or staff should have done differently. Understanding the root cause of your child’s injury is essential to building a strong legal claim. At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, we investigate every angle.

One of the most common causes of daycare injuries is understaffing. Illinois requires infants to have 1 adult for every 4 children, while older preschoolers can have larger group sizes. When daycares cut corners on staffing, children get hurt. We handle cases involving understaffing and ratio violations at Chicago daycares and inadequate supervision at Chicago daycares. We also pursue claims based on untrained and uncertified daycare workers in Chicago, failure to conduct background checks at Chicago daycares, negligent hiring by Chicago daycare operators, and negligent retention of dangerous workers at Chicago daycares.

Training failures are equally dangerous. A daycare that skips training staff on CPR and first aid or training staff on allergy protocols is setting children up for harm. We also handle cases involving unsafe premises at Chicago daycare facilities, poor building maintenance at Chicago daycares, inadequate security and access control at Chicago daycares, fire safety violations at Chicago daycares, failure to conduct evacuation drills at Chicago daycares, transportation accidents involving Chicago daycare vans, field trip injuries at Chicago daycares, and failure to follow individual care plans at Chicago daycares.

On the question of legal responsibility, Illinois law gives families several avenues to pursue. You may have claims against the daycare center itself, its owner, individual staff members, or even a parent company. We handle cases involving Chicago daycare owner liability for child injuries, daycare worker and individual staff liability in Illinois, parent company and franchise corporation liability, property owner and landlord liability for daycare injuries, product manufacturer liability for defective daycare equipment, vicarious liability in Illinois daycare cases, and situations involving when multiple parties share liability for a daycare injury. Even if your child was injured at an unlicensed facility, you may still have legal options. We handle cases involving suing an unlicensed daycare in Chicago and can guide you through the process of suing a daycare center after a child is injured in Illinois.

Types of Childcare Facilities and Children We Represent