In another part of Missouri, a four-year-old died in a tragic accident at his preschool. According to reports, the children were doing physical education at an Early Childhood Center, which is a preschool that is operated by public funds. The place where the children were doing their exercises served more than one purpose in that it was also the school’s cafeteria.
The boy allegedly applied force to a bench that was attached to a table that was affixed to the wall. When the boy pushed on the bench, the table opened up and fell hard on the boy, presumably striking him in the head. While the boy was given first aid at the scene by his caregivers, he died a short time after arriving at a nearby hospital. The school indicated that at the time of the accident, there were several adults attending to the children.
While it happened a number of miles from Kansas City, this sad case still illustrates the reality that serious accidents can and do happen at schools, daycares and other places to which parents entrust the care of their children. When parents do so, the school has an obligation to do what it can to keep the child safe. This means not only supervising the child and looking after his or her safety, it also means being sure that the property is safe for children.
In this case, that may not have happened since a table that was mounted to a wall fell on a child unexpectedly. Of course, no amount of money could bring this child back. However, the parents may still consider a personal injury, or, more properly, a wrongful death, claim against those legally responsible for this tragedy.
