Mom of 18-month-old sues daycare center over second-degree burns

ST. LOUIS – A new lawsuit alleges that a daycare center’s improper handling of an everyday baby product caused second-degree burns in an 18-month-old child.

Missouri child care inspectors confirmed back in 2019 that the child was able to pull down an infant bottle warmer, which was leaking scalding hot contents. The inspection report from four years ago states that the child suffered second-degree burns to the arm and head.

“This is a ‘never event’.” “It should never happen,” said attorney Chris Finney.

Finney filed a lawsuit last August. He says the child will always struggle with the burn injuries pictured in his petition.

“They just blew up in the air,” he said. “[The child will]likely have lasting scars for the rest of his life.”

Missouri child care inspectors backed up the 2019 complaint, noting that “an unplugged bottle warmer sat halfway up the wall between the infant and toddler rooms…with its cord hanging down and accessible to the children.”

Finney added, “This is probably the most dangerous hazard in this space and if you don’t secure it properly, an accident could happen.”

FOX 2 reached out to Kidz Biz’s owner for comment on the lawsuit.

“It was an isolated case,” they said. “The student returned to school the next day and stayed at our facility before moving a year later. We’re surprised this has resurfaced four years later. Unfortunately, I believe this is financially motivated.”

The owner added that the company has been in business for over 20 years with safety being a top priority and that all bottle warmers have been removed from the facility.

Finney reckons there are more crates of bottles than we know due to the regular industry alerts. Though the device is intended to warm an infant’s milk, he says it may contain a boiling hot liquid needed to warm it.