League City day care denies it’s to blame in girl’s death
A League City child care facility has denied any responsibility for the death of a 3-month old girl who died under its supervision, according to Galveston County court records.
Attorneys for Cory and Summer Bullock, doing business as Bullock’s Bright Beginnings, LLC, and Kiddie Academy of League City, submitted their response to a lawsuit filed on Oct. 17 in state District Court by Jared and Lindsey McNeel. The plaintiffs accuse the child care facility of negligence for allegedly allowing their daughter, Skylar McNeel, to smother herself during a nap on Aug. 27.
The facility’s attorneys assert that McNeel’s death was “not caused by any act or omission of these Defendants,” and petitioned the court to cap any damages awarded to the plaintiffs.
The McNeels’ lawsuit alleges that Skylar died when an employee of the day care center laid her face down on her stomach in a crib that was not “blanket free,” which would violate the facility’s “Infant/ Toddler Safe Sleep Policy” and state standards.
“She died from asphyxiation during her nap due to the negligence of the defendants,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges that employees at Kiddie Academy misled the McNeels as well as investigators trying to determine the cause of Skylar’s death by providing false information about her sleep position, who was caring for her at the time of her death, and the status of the facility’s video monitoring system.
Texas Child Care Licensing, a branch of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, launched an investigation into Kiddie Academy after Skylar’s death.
Earlier this year, child care facility inspectors found a slew of deficiencies at the company’s west location that included a lack of supervision and “good judgment” after a child suffered a fractured arm and needed medical help.
A “child was observed crying and in pain due to an arm injury,” according to a state compliance report filed on April 6. “Yet the parent was not notified until hours later.”
In the same month, state inspectors found improper supervision as children played outside. During an April 9 visit, inspectors found four babies sleeping in bouncers, rather than in cribs. Bouncers are considered restrictive equipment, an assessment read.
The McNeels’ lawsuit seeks more than $10 million in damages.