As reported by WSVN Channel 7 News from Sunrise, Florida, in an attempt to hide the number of children in their care prior to an inspection, preschool owners packed up and drove several of their young charges to a condominium complex. Once there, however, one child, 4-year old J.C., was left behind in the hot car and died.
J.C.'s family have filed a wrongful death suit naming 3C's Day Academy in Sunrise for negligence.
During a news conference F.C., J.C.'s mother, told reporters, "It's just so tragic to come home and not see your son and not hearing him say, 'Hey, Mom,' and not getting that last kiss before he leaves. It's real heart-breaking."
On August 1 of this year, J.C. was left inside a sport utility vehicle parked just outside of the Versailles Gardens Condominium complex in Tamarac. Instead of being at 3C's Day Academy the child, along with several others, were removed by the daycare owner's daughter.
3C's Day Academy operates in a private home and was scheduled by state investigators for a visit. The day care had been cited for being run over capacity in the past.
A.M., a resident at Versailles Gardens, said, "The lady was not supposed to have kids at the house, so the daughter took the kids and brought them over here, but left one of them in the car."
Another resident, M.A., was credited with attempting CPR to revive J.C. and calling 911. M.A., said, "I felt his neck, and I was like, no, he didn't have a pulse. He was just laying there, just completely out, completely out. His skin felt a little slimy like he was hot, but it was hot. It was in the 90s, but I'm just thinking, 'OK, he was just hot,' but then he had a whole bunch of saliva in his mouth."
J.C.'s godfather commented, "A 4-year-old left in a van is not a telephone you forget. That's a human being." J.C.'s godmother, D.J., added, "One of the things about Jordan and this family is that we took good care of him. He'd never been in a formal daycare before in his life. We are praying that people are held accountable, that people will be held responsible and that everything will be exposed."
Attorney Stuart Grossman represents the family. Grossman stated, "At the 3C's Academy there was fear by the ownership that they had too many kids under their care, and the solution to that was to put them all in a van and to take them across town to someone's apartment. All of this is unauthorized."
An investigation by the State Attorney's Office has begun and charges are pending.
It is horrible to loose a loved one when you have the facts before you showing that their death was preventable. When you contact a personal injury lawyer and file your lawsuit, you not only work to recover your own damages, you are helping to force others to recognize weaknesses and make necessary changes in policy.