Mother claims tot was burned at kindy

A GOLD Coast mum is suing a Tugun childcare centre for $750,000 after her eightmonth-old baby was burned with boiling water.

Deanne Hoksbergen, of Elanora, is taking on Sagar Childcare, which trades as Kanga’s Kindergarten and Childcare Centre in Tugun, as litigation guardian for her son Luka Hoksbergen. He allegedly suffered burns to his left leg and abdomen when he overturned a bucket of boiling water on himself that was put on the floor of the centre’s baby room on February 10, 2015.

In a statement of claim lodged in the Southport District Court last month, Ms Hoksbergen claims her son, who was eight months old at the time of the injury, suffered “scarring and disfigurement” and required medical treatment.

The claim states the baby was also burned on his left hand, with 15 per cent of the surface area affected.

Luka now allegedly suffers from ongoing panic attacks and anxiety, the claim states.

The claim is being brought on the basis the childcare centre owed the youngster a duty of care to protect his “physical safety” and “general welfare and wellbeing”.

“A bucket of boiling water was placed on the floor in the Junior Joeys Room at the Centre by employees ... the plaintiff has overturned the bucket of water onto himself,” the claim explains.

It also alleges kindy employees were negligent and failed to take precautions to stop the baby being burned.

They failed to ensure the centre was a “safe” environment for children, the claim states.

“The accident occurred as a result of the defendant and by its employees ... failing to apprehend or carry out any assessment ... that a bucket of

THE PLAINTIFF HAS OVERTURNED THE BUCKET OF WATER ONTO HIMSELF. STATEMENT OF CLAIM

boiling water was likely to tip over and cause injury to children,” the claim states.

It also says employees failed to monitor the area the baby was in.

Of the $750,000 claimed, Ms Hoksbergen is seeking $100,000 for Luka’s future economic loss and $19,570 for future special damages, including weekly sunscreen for the next 70 years.

The claim also seeks compensation for hospital parking, pain killers, burn cream and bandages that were required for Luka.

Kanga’s Kindergarten and Childcare Centre declined to comment.

Lawyers for Ms Hoksbergen did not return calls.