Recently, Raymond and Dikeisha Whitlock-Pryer filed a lawsuit against a Houston daycare facility for negligence in connection with the death of their three-year-old son. On July 19, 2018, Raymond Jr., who also went by R.J., along with 28 other students of Discovering Me Academy LLC went on a field trip to a local park. According to authorities, the group, which included two daycare employees, returned to the daycare facility on Antoine Drive midafternoon. When R.J.’s father came to pick him up at 6:00 p.m., daycare employees were unable to find R.J. After searching for approximately thirty minutes, R.J. was discovered unresponsive inside the bus located outside the daycare. Investigators believe R.J. was inside the bus for at least three and a half hours. Deputies measured the temperature inside the bus after they arrived on scene. It was found to be 113 degrees inside the bus at that time. Records show that the toddler had allegedly been listed as having been accounted for when the bus returned to the daycare facility. The family has also sued Tanisha Butler, the owner of Discovering Me Academy. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Butler was instrumental in setting up the daycare’s system to account for children throughout the day. Ms. Butler was also reportedly on the premises the day of the incident for at least part of the time that R.J. was left unattended on the bus.
The family has alleged that Discovering Me Academy LLC was negligent and grossly negligent in leaving R.J. on the bus and for not discovering that R.J. was unaccounted for inside the facility until after his father arrived over four hours later. The family also alleges that Ms. Butler was negligent in failing to recognize that R.J. was no longer present after the field trip and negligent for not maintaining a system to account for children when they returned from a field trip such as the one R.J. attended. The Pryers are seeking over $1,000,000 in damages, including punitive damages against the daycare facility.
If your or someone you know has been injured due to the negligence of another, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or 1-888-229-5094 for your free consultation.