St. Louis Daycare Center Faces Lawsuit After Toddler Burned by Bottle Warmer

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Aug 17, 2023, 11:05 ET

Lawsuit brought by Finney Injury Law alleges Kidz Biz Preparatory's negligence caused toddler's second-degree burns, facility had 56 safety violations over five years

ST. LOUIS , Aug. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kidz Biz Preparatory, a daycare center in Hazelwood, Missouri, is facing a lawsuit filed by the mother of an 18-month-old boy who suffered second-degree burns while at the facility in May 2019. Tiara Cornell claims the daycare center endangered her son's life when workers left a hot bottle warmer full of boiling water unsecured and unattended. Because no caregivers were watching Cornell's son or his classmates, the toddler was able to pull the gadget's dangling cord, which caused scalding hot water to severely burn his arm, according to the complaint.

Kidz Biz Preparatory, a daycare center in Hazelwood, Missouri, is facing a lawsuit filed by the mother of an 18-month-old boy who suffered second-degree burns while at the facility in May 2019. Tiara Cornell claims the daycare center endangered her son’s life when workers left a hot bottle warmer full of boiling water unsecured and unattended. The scalding hot water severely burned his arm.

The suit states the toddler's skin was "blistering and peeling off his arm" when Cornell arrived at Kidz Biz Preparatory. She immediately rushed her son to the emergency room at a nearby hospital where doctors treated him for second-degree burns.

The state of Missouri conducted an independent investigation that substantiated Cornell's claims, finding that the "reckless acts of Kidz Biz Preparatory caused physical injury" to her son, according to the complaint. The agency also cited the daycare center for violating childcare licensing rules that address making hazardous items like bottle warmers inaccessible to children.

"It is the law and common sense to keep hazardous appliances like bottle warmers away from curious toddlers," says Finney Injury Law attorney Chris Finney, who is representing Cornell in the lawsuit. "Plain and simple, this entire incident was preventable. Kidz Biz Preparatory simply disregarded all safety laws meant to protect children, like our client's son, from these severe bottle warmer burns."

A deeper dive into Kidz Biz Preparatory found the incident involving Cornell's son was not the daycare center's first safety infraction. In fact, the childcare facility had received 56 citations from the state between 2017 and 2022—the latter being three years after Cornell's son's sustained severe burns caused by the bottle warmer.

The case is Tiara Cornell, as next friend and mother of J.C., a minor child, vs. Kidz Biz, Inc., d/b/a Kidz Biz Preparatory, Case No. 23SL-CC03318, Circuit Court of St. Louis County, State of Missouri. A copy of the complaint can be accessed here.

About Finney Injury Law
Finney Injury Law is a trusted personal injury firm based in St. Louis that is focused on fighting for victims impacted by life-changing incidents in childcare injury, premises liability, brain injury, and catastrophic injury cases. With experienced and award-winning attorneys serving clients in Missouri and Illinois, Finney Injury Law works tirelessly to advocate for victims and get them justice. Learn more at finneyinjurylaw.com.

SOURCE Finney Injury Law