“When they saw the video, they were shocked by the severity of the fall C.K. experienced, as well as the fact that the Bay Club tried to cover up the true nature of the incident,” the lawsuit alleges.
A California family has filed a lawsuit against their private country club, claiming that a staff member assigned to childcare dropped their toddler on his head and lied about the severity of the fall.
According to USA Today, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Matthew and Elena Kittle.
Attorneys for the Kittles say that their 23-month-old son, C.K., was thrown into the air by a Bays Club Company employee. The staff member then failed to catch C.K., causing him to fall and “smas[h] his head on the hardwood floor,” after which the same employee allegedly “fell backwards and landed on top of him.” C.K. then “began crying uncontrollably.” The boy was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
USA Today notes that The Bays Club Company operates more than 30 locations nationwide; the Kittles were members at The Bay Club El Segundo in Southern California.
Lawyers from Comm Oddities, Inc., which is representing The Bay Club, said in a statement that it is “unable to comment on ongoing litigation.”
“At the Bay Club, the safety of our members, team members, and the families we serve is our highest priority,” they said.
The lawsuit, however, says that staff at Bay Club El Segundo first tried to downplay the severity of C.K.’s injuries. At the time of the incident, Matthew was off the premises; he was told that his son had been hurt, but that the injuries weren’t serious enough for Kittle to return.
Shortly after this initial call, though, staff again contacted Kittle, telling him that they couldn’t calm C.K. down. When Kittle arrived, he noticed that his son’s face was bruised; his right eye was swollen shut; and he had injuries around his mouth, too.
“C.K. was extremely drowsy, lethargic, and irritable,” the lawsuit alleges.
Kittle’s wife, Elena, later contacted the Bay Club to find out what had happened. She was told both that C.K. had only fallen about one-and-a-half feet and that his legs and arms had borne most of the impact. A follow-up medical examination determined that C.K. had suffered traumatic brain injuries; he was diagnosed with a concussion, blunt-head trauma, and facial abrasions.
“‘It was assessed that C.K. suffered a ‘definite concussion with a discrete enough force and clinical signs that indicate he’s in pain and behavior changes,’” the lawsuit says, adding that C.K. continues to experience symptoms that include noticeable hearing loss.
The Kittles say they only found out what really happened when they insisted on seeing surveillance footage of the incident.
“When they saw the video, they were shocked by the severity of the fall C.K. experienced, as well as the fact that the Bay Club tried to cover up the true nature of the incident,” the lawsuit alleges.
“The deception by the Bay Club of hiding this horrific incident from the parents is inexcusable,” attorneys Ryan Saba told USA Today. “The day-care facility should have the highest amount of care for the children, and if a child gets sick or injured, they should notify the parents with transparency and urgency.”
Sources
Lawsuit: Country club worker dropped toddler, hid severity of fall
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