Trial Begins Monday for the Death of Toddler at Local Day-Care Center

July 30, 2009 - PRLog -- Philadelphia, Pa.– Monday, August 3, 2009, begins the trial of two-year old Shahadah Bell who lost her life as a result of not being properly supervised at Brightside Academy, Philadelphia’s largest daycare provider.

On September 15, 2006, Shahadah's 15-year-old brother, Kwame Bell, arrived to pick her up from Brightside Academy, only to find the workers responsible for her care unaware of her whereabouts. Kwame eventually discovered his little sister slumped on a tricycle wedged under a jungle gym in Brightside Academy’s outside playground.

While waiting for the arrival of the EMS, not a single Brightside employee attempted to do CPR or first aid on the toddler. Shahadah was then rushed to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP) after the EMS was unable to resuscitate her.

Shahadah Bell lost consciousness after the carelessness monitoring of her daycare teachers and suffered severe injuries including hypoxic brain injury, or suffocation, and cardiac arrest. Shahadah Bell died a few days later from being declared brain dead while maintained on life support throughout the duration of her stay at CHOP.

Messa & Associates, P.C. is representing the interests of the Bell family who hope that this lawsuit will bring awareness to the potential dangers and severe injuries that can occur to children at daycare centers when staff are not properly trained to supervise children and that daycare centers around the country, specifically those in Pennsylvania, will re-examine their hiring and training procedures of employees and take steps to improve and/or create additional policies to ensure that the safety and well-being of all the children who are under their care and supervision is not compromised.  

For more information regarding the trial, please contact Jessica Neff at 215-568-3500 or Jneff@messalaw.com.

About Messa & Associates, P.C.
Messa & Associates P.C., specializes in representing individuals and their families in complex personal injury matters, including catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, product liability, motor vehicle accidents, fires and explosions. Our attorneys serve Pennsylvania clients throughout the state, including in Philadelphia and other surrounding communities in Montgomery County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Bucks County. Messa & Associates are also proud to serve New Jersey clients throughout the state as well as litigate selected cases throughout the country.

# # #

Messa & Associates is a law firm that specializes in representing individuals and families in complex personal injury matters, including catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, product liability and motor vehicle accidents.