Toddler develops mysterious cough at Horry County daycare, parents claim in suit
The parents of a toddler are suing an Horry County daycare center after their child came home with a mysterious cough that sent her to the emergency room.
Justin and Lindsey Richardson are accusing Ann and Andy Daycare in Conway of negligence because of a medical complication their child allegedly experienced last year due to exposure to cleaning chemicals used at the facility. The child was 18 months old at the time.
Ann and Andy Daycare did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon. The Richardsons’ attorneys, Nicholas A. Farr and Robert D. Corney of The Derrick Law Firm Injury Lawyers, in Conway, were not available for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after the child started attending the daycare, she developed a “severe cough that rapidly worsened,” the court summons, filed Friday, states. Because of the severity of these symptoms, the Richardsons took their daughter to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with severe inflammatory lung disease, according to the summons.
In the process of being medically evaluated, the summons says a “significant amount” of bleach was discovered on the child’s clothing. It was then determined that she had suffered chemical pneumonitis — which can cause permanent complications — from exposure to bleach fumes.
With this diagnosis, the discovery of bleach and the onset of symptoms closely following the child’s initial enrollment at the facility, the parents claim that their child’s distress was caused by an “excessive” amount of bleach, which was not properly diluted, used for cleaning at the daycare. They also claim that “upon information and belief,” other children at the daycare have experienced similar symptoms, “indicating a pattern of dangerous practices.”
The parents further assert that the daycare facility did not properly ventilate the area, leading to their child’s breathing complications.
They are accusing Ann and Andy Daycare 3067 Highway 701 North, with negligence, gross negligence, negligence per se and premises liability for not safely using the bleach to clean, and therefore not adequately protecting the children who were in their care.
As compensation for their child’s medical predicament, the Richardsons are requesting damages to cover past, present and future medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, permanent injury or disability, and loss of enjoyment of life.
They are also requesting damages for diminished lung capacity and respiratory function, increased susceptibility to future respiratory complications and the potential need for future medical interventions for their child, such as a lung transplant.
The summons claims that no other source of chemical exposure has been identified that matches up with the timing and type of symptoms the child experienced.
