A 20-month-old girl got ill from nicotine after having access to a vape pen belonging to a Bright Horizons daycare center staffer in Texas, according to a complaint filed by her mother.
Jocelyn Carter claims her baby was poisoned on her first day of daycare on January 22 at a center in Plano, 20 miles north of Dallas. According to a complaint filed in a federal court in Texas on Tuesday, the incident made the youngster unwell, leaving her face bloated and causing a recurrent cough and vomiting.
“I am furious that Bright Horizons at Legacy knew my daughter could be poisoned by drugs in a vape pen, but they chose to do nothing and remained silent,” Carter said in an interview. “My daughter is my whole universe. I can’t think what would have happened if I hadn’t taken her to the doctor as soon as I realized something was wrong.”
The discovery was made when a Bright Horizon staffer returned from the toilet and noticed the girl, identified in court records as G.C., with something pink in her palm and “a smoke and mist-like substance coming out of her nose and mouth,” court documents stated.
The employee questioned the vape pen’s owner, another employee, over the item. According to the lawsuit, that employee removed the pen from another employee’s hand and placed it in her jacket pocket without saying anything.
The worker who discovered the device did not immediately report the event because she “did not know who to report it to and was afraid that she might get in trouble,” according to court filings.
According to court records, Carter claims a worker lied to her when she arrived for pickup later that day about why her daughter’s eyes and cheeks were swollen, red, and puffy.
“When Jocelyn inquired why her daughter’s eyes were swollen, the Bright Horizons caregiver employee responded with laughter and told Jocelyn that G.C.’s eyes were swollen because she was just a ‘good sleeper,'” according to the lawsuit.
G.C. was treated by medical personnel at home that night after suffering a strong and persistent cough that led him to vomit, according to court filings.
Bright Horizons told Carter the truth about what had occurred to her daughter eight days later, but they did not tell her what chemical was in the pen or how the kid was able to use it. The vape pen owner eventually resigned after being suspended, but the employee who discovered the pen was not fired for neglecting to report the incident, according to the lawsuit.
Bright Horizons’ media representative did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
Carter notified the police, who stated that the youngster might have taken up to 40 milligrams of nicotine from the disposable electronic vape pen, according to court filings. According to the Texas Poison Center Network, even modest doses of nicotine can be dangerous for children.
According to court documents, an investigation by the state’s Health and Human Services Child-Care Licensing Division and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services found that the daycare center failed to supervise the toddler and did not meet the requirements of a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse and neglect because a caregiver witnessed the incident but did not report it to the appropriate authorities.
“Negligent practices at Bright Horizons at Legacy failed this family by endangering an innocent toddler’s life,” stated Carter’s lawyer, Russell Button of The Button Law Firm. “Hardworking parents like Ms. Carter want daycare centers to hire reputable workers and maintain a safe atmosphere. Bright Horizons at Legacy did neither, forcing a little girl to suffer.