Child Dies at Day Care in Apex, North Carolina

A day care is being investigated by Apex, North Carolina (N.C.) police after a child being cared for there died, according to police spokeswoman Capt. Ann Stephens. The authorities were called in to assist at Judy's Home Care, which has a 1300 Laura Duncan Road address. Their actions were warranted based on a report that a 3-month-old girl had stopped breathing at the children’s day care facility.  The 3 month old infant was taken to WakeMed in Raleigh, where she was tragically pronounced dead.

According to officials with the state Department of Health and Human Services whom inspected the home after the child's death have indicated there were at least 17 violations found at the location. They cited such things as inadequate supervision of children, the lack of an operating smoke detector and some other violations that were not so particularly alarming.

The license of owner/operator Judy Lucas was suspended by the Department of Health and Human Services by the very next day. The DHHS specifically cited that “the conditions of the facility represented an immediate danger to the health, safety, and welfare of children" that were being cared for there. The final report by Apex police is pending until an official cause of death can close the investigation.

All daycares are required to provide a safe environment for staff, children and visiting parents. Make sure that this is in evidence, for example, that all play equipment is safe and that fire drills take place regularly. Security must be a high priority. Check that children cannot leave the building without being noticed and unauthorised persons cannot enter without valid reason.

Prevention of dangerous situations is a must in a day-care setting. You should satisfy yourself that steps have been taken to minimize every risk. A good day-care center is clean and sanitary. Floors, corridors, walls and the kitchen area must be spotless; rubbish bins should not be left sitting filled up and the building should be well-lit and ventilated. Staff must be aware of the importance of personal hygiene and follow appropriate procedures.

As you decide where to leave your kids for the day, ask yourself if the staff seems loving and properly trained to treat your children as you would want them cared for. Do the boys and girls seem happy and are there enough adults to keep things under control? If you get a bad vibe, find a different school or center.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling wrongful death cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our law firm has offices in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, VA, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube .  In addition, our lawyers proudly edit the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard, as well as the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.

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