Daycare in St. Peters Tried to Cover Up Baby's Skull Fracture, Lawsuit Alleges

Suit claims Kids Kingdom caregivers ignored safety laws that severely injured 4-month-old, Finney Injury Law represents family

ST. PETERS, Mo., Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new lawsuit claims negligent caregivers at Kids Kingdom, a faith-based daycare center through Encounter Church, caused a 4-month-old boy's skull fracture and brain bleed when they failed to follow Missouri childcare laws. The complaint states caregivers did not properly secure the infant after placing him in a bouncy chair. When they left the baby and other children unsupervised, the seat flipped, and the boy slammed his head onto hard flooring.

Despite making many safety promises to parents, the complaint alleges Kids Kingdom did not follow state laws or its own policies including notifying the boy's mother, Skyler Jaggli, about her son's injury. Instead, staff chose not to tell the family or seek emergency medical attention following the October 2022 incident, according to the suit. Per the complaint, daycare workers simply applied ice to the baby's head and let Jaggli take him home at the end of the day.

According to the suit, it wasn't until later that night when Jaggli noticed a large, palm-sized bump on her son's head. The next day, upon questioning Kids Kingdom workers, she was finally informed of the incident—18 hours after it occurred. Jaggli then rushed her infant son to an emergency room where tests revealed he was suffering from a parietal skull fracture and subarachnoid hemorrhaging.

The suit also claims that Kids Kingdom and its workers immediately attempted to cover their tracks of wrongdoing by disposing of the bouncy chair that flipped and left the infant injured.

"Kids Kingdom knew this incident was preventable and prioritized its reputation over the well-being of an innocent baby who is lucky to be alive right now," says attorney Chris Finney of Finney Injury Law, the law firm representing Jaggli. "They not only failed to follow state guidelines for daycare centers, but they also broke their promise to my client, who trusted her child would be protected and kept safe while in their care."

An independent investigation by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Childhood—Child Care Compliance cited the faith-based daycare center for violating child-supervision and incident-notification rules. The state then placed the facility on a 20-day corrective plan.

The case is Skyler Jaggli, as next friend and mother of P.J., a minor child, vs. Eagle Point Community Church, d/b/a Encounter Church, d/b/a Kids Kingdom Christian Center, Case No. 2311-CC00774, Circuit Court of St. Charles County. 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 to help victims recover after 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