As reported by the News-Press.com, a young Estero girl suffered third-degree burns and a blistered scalp - that would later evolve into balding and the need for skin grafting - after a hairdresser left chemicals on her hair too long in a attempt to color the child's hair blue.
The child's parents are suing the Coconut Grove salon to recover more than $85,000 in medical bills and for pain and suffering. They accuse the salon of hiring negligent employees.
The incident occurred two years ago, when the child entered the salon requesting that they color her natural brown hair blue.
She later left in tears.
Brian Vigness, an attorney with Morgan and Morgan, on behalf of the family claimed that the victim has had two of three necessary skin grafts to repair the damage.
Vigness said, "In addition to the initial pain and the surgeries she's had to undergo, the skin on her scalp is hypersensitive to the touch. And emotionally, you know, kids at that age can be cruel, and she has had comments made to her. That's been difficult."
The suit was filed last September.
The suit states that the victim wanted the lower portion of her hair dyed blue. The hairdresser, V.K. 24, applied a lightener - called "Up to 7" - and a dye before wrapping the girl's hair up in foils.
Then V.K. allegedly placed the girl under a heated dryer, which was not recommended per the "Up to 7" instructions that specified that heat was not to be combined with their product.
V.K. then left the hair salon to have lunch, leaving her young client under the hairdryer.
After she finished her lunch - after a period of time that remains unconfirmed -
V.K. returned to the salon. Instead of returning to her station or her client, she entered the salon's restroom.
Complaining that her head felt like it was burning, and crying, the child's hairdresser - allegedly still in the salon's restroom - was alerted.
A cream with aloe was applied by the salon manager to the victim's scalp.
In a recent deposition V.K. testified, "She was just crying and said that it was hurting, and then she was just sniffling and she had a couple tears rolling down her eyes as I was rinsing it out. I was just telling her that I was sorry, and I didn't mean for this to happen and I was just trying to make her hair blue. And I even started crying and I hugged her."
Per her attorneys, V.K. further claimed that no burns were present on the victim when she left the salon.
Vigness stated that though the mother first brought her home after the incident, she took her back out again that same day - to be seen in an emergency room where second and third degree burns were diagnosed.
Four days after the alleged burning the child had her hair dyed again - in a different salon. Defense has argued that the burns occurred during the second dye job and not the first.
Vigness claims that allegation to be false and contended that the second salon used a non-caustic dye, no heat and kept the chemical away from the scalp.
Vigness remains unconcerned as medical records were taken the day of the first salon visit, not four days after.
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