Daycare Injury Lawyer Athens, GA
If your child was hurt at a daycare or childcare facility in Athens, Georgia, the experience can be among the most frightening a parent faces. You trusted a facility to keep your child safe, and that trust was broken. Whether the injury resulted from inadequate supervision, unsafe equipment, abusive conduct by a staff member, or a facility that simply failed to follow the rules it was required to follow, you have every right to seek answers and pursue accountability.
Daycare facilities in Georgia are licensed and regulated by the state, and when they fail to meet those standards and a child is harmed, the law provides a path to recovery. At Burrow & Associates, our Athens, GA daycare injury lawyer represents families whose children have been injured in daycare and childcare settings throughout Clarke County. Founded in 1996 and backed by nearly 70 years of combined attorney experience, the firm has been standing up for injured Georgians for nearly three decades. Contact us for a free consultation.
Why Choose Burrow & Associates for Daycare Injury Cases in Athens, GA?
Knowledge of Georgia’s Childcare Laws and Clarke County Courts
Daycare injury cases differ meaningfully from standard car accident or slip-and-fall claims. They involve regulatory standards set by Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), evidence to be obtained from the facility itself, and insurance issues unique to the childcare industry. Georgia law does not require daycare facilities to carry liability insurance, which means the first step in any case is understanding what insurance, if any, the facility maintains and what other recovery mechanisms exist. Our attorneys have handled personal injury cases in Athens, GA and throughout Clarke County for years. We know how to investigate these cases thoroughly from the outset and how to build claims against childcare facilities that have harmed the children entrusted to them.
Michael F. Burrow joined Burrow & Associates in 2007. He earned his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before practicing law, Mr. Burrow spent 14 years conducting biomedical research on federally funded programs in collaboration with Emory University and the Medical College of Georgia, and served as Vice President of Operations for DocuSys, Inc., a medical technology company. That scientific and analytical background directly informs how he examines evidence, challenges institutional defendants, and builds cases involving the complex regulatory and medical dimensions of child injury claims.
A Demonstrated Record for Injured Clients
Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients across Georgia, including a $1,000,000 recovery in an insurance bad faith case, $885,000 in a wrongful death matter, and $800,000 in a premises liability case. When facilities or their insurers attempt to minimize the harm done to a child or dispute liability, we know how to respond. We understand what a complete personal injury settlement must include in a child injury case, particularly when long-term physical, developmental, or psychological effects are at issue.
No Fees Unless We Win
Daycare injury cases at Burrow & Associates are handled on a contingency fee basis. There are no upfront costs and no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your family. When your child has been hurt, financial concerns about legal representation should not stand in the way of accountability.
Recognized in the Georgia Legal Community
Burrow & Associates is listed on Martindale-Hubbell and carries recognition consistent with Super Lawyers standards, as well as accolades from the National Trial Lawyers. Nearly three decades of practice representing injured Georgians reflects a standard of representation that families in serious cases can trust.
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“I would just like to say that all the people with Burrow and Associates was very nice and helpful with any questions I had. They have great payment plans. I will make sure to tell anyone I know about how great they are. You can call to talk with someone and if they dont answer the phone they call you back within a short time.” — Rebecca Mott
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Types of Daycare Injury Cases We Handle in Athens
Daycare injuries arise from a range of failures in supervision, facility maintenance, staff conduct, and institutional oversight. We handle all of the following throughout Athens and Clarke County.
- Inadequate supervision injuries. The most common source of daycare injury claims. When a facility fails to maintain adequate staff-to-child ratios or allows a child to be unsupervised in a dangerous situation, and a child is hurt as a result, the facility may be held liable. Georgia’s childcare regulations specify supervision requirements that exist precisely to prevent these injuries.
- Playground and equipment injuries. Falls from defective or improperly maintained playground equipment, entrapment hazards, and unsafe outdoor surfaces are frequent causes of serious child injuries at daycare facilities. A facility’s obligation to maintain safe premises extends to all equipment on the property.
- Abuse and neglect by staff members. When a daycare employee physically abuses, sexually abuses, or neglects a child, the facility may be liable not only for the employee’s direct conduct but also for negligent hiring, negligent retention, and failure to conduct adequate background checks.
- Wrongful death. When a child dies due to a daycare facility’s negligence, the surviving parents may pursue both wrongful death and survival damages under Georgia law. These are among the most serious cases we handle, and they require immediate investigation and the preservation of evidence.
- Transportation accidents. When a daycare operates a van or bus to transport children, it assumes responsibility for their safety during transit. Accidents caused by improper child restraint, reckless driving, or inadequate vehicle maintenance can give rise to claims against the facility and potentially its insurer.
- Catastrophic injuries. Head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and injuries with long-term developmental consequences require a particularly thorough approach to damages. We ensure that future medical costs, therapy, and the full impact of the injury on your child’s development are accounted for in any settlement or verdict.
Georgia Legal Requirements for Daycare Injury Cases
Understanding the legal framework governing daycare facilities in Georgia is essential for building a successful claim. Trust our legal team to properly apply these laws to your case.
Georgia’s childcare facilities are regulated under O.C.G.A. § 20-1A-10 and the broader O.C.G.A. § 20-1A-1 et seq., which establish the framework for DECAL to license and oversee childcare centers and family child care learning homes. These statutes require facilities to meet specific standards for staffing ratios, facility safety, staff qualifications, and emergency planning. Violations of DECAL licensing rules are directly relevant to negligence claims against a facility. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning maintains public records of licensing status, inspection history, violation notices, and enforcement actions for all licensed facilities. Reviewing a facility’s compliance history is one of the first steps in investigating a daycare injury claim.
Under O.C.G.A. § 51-1-6, when the law requires a person or entity to perform an act for the benefit of another, the injured party may recover for the breach of that legal duty. Daycare facilities owe a legal duty of care to the children in their custody, and when that duty is breached and a child is injured, a civil claim arises. Violation of a DECAL licensing rule, if the rule was intended to protect children from the type of harm that occurred, can constitute negligence per se, meaning the violation establishes the breach of duty without requiring additional proof of unreasonableness.
One of the most critical legal distinctions in daycare injury cases is the statute of limitations. The general deadline for personal injury claims in Georgia is two years under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. However, under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90, the statute of limitations for a minor’s personal injury claim is tolled until the child reaches age 18, meaning the two-year clock does not begin until the child’s eighteenth birthday. A parent’s own derivative claim, such as for medical expenses, is not tolled in the same way and runs from the date of injury. Acting early is still critical, because evidence disappears and facility records may be overwritten or destroyed. The Georgia General Assembly and the Georgia Court System are authoritative sources on the statutes and procedures governing injury claims in this state.
What Damages Are Recoverable in an Athens Daycare Injury Case?
Georgia law permits families to pursue several categories of compensation when a child is injured due to a daycare facility’s negligence.
Economic damages cover the documentable financial losses arising from the injury. Medical expenses, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and any anticipated future medical costs related to the injury, are fully recoverable. When a child’s injury has long-term developmental or physical consequences, projecting those future costs accurately is a critical part of building the claim. Lost wages of a parent who must miss work to care for an injured child may also be recoverable.
Non-economic damages address the harms that do not come with a bill. Pain and suffering endured by the child, emotional and psychological trauma, disruption to the child’s development and daily life, and the emotional anguish of the parents are all recognized under Georgia law. Georgia does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases, which is particularly significant in cases involving serious or permanent child injuries.
Punitive damages are available under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1 when the facility’s conduct was reckless, willful, malicious, or wanton. When a daycare knowingly understaffed its facility in violation of state ratios, repeatedly ignored safety violations, or retained an employee it knew posed a risk to children, punitive damages become a serious consideration. Georgia also recognizes loss of consortium damages for family members whose relationships and daily lives have been materially affected by a child’s serious injury.
Contact Burrow & Associates
If your child was injured at a daycare or childcare facility in Athens or anywhere in Clarke County, Burrow & Associates is ready to evaluate your family’s case. There are no upfront fees and no costs of any kind unless we recover compensation. Consultations are free, and we make every effort to respond the same day.
Contact us to speak with our Athens daycare injury attorney about your child’s case.
