Mum awarded five-figure sum after baby suffers skull fracture at nursery

A mum has been awarded a five-figure payout after her baby suffered a fracture at the nursery she worked at.

Kiera Young, 26, left her daughter Lexie Hurles with staff at Primrose City Nursery in Glasgow where she had worked for almost two years.

But during the seven-month-old’s third settling-in session, which lasted two hours, the youngster suffered a skull fracture and brain injury.

She spent two days in hospital before being discharged, but was then readmitted due to vomiting and fever.

Doctors observed her for another day before sending her home.

For three months after the incident, which happened on March 24, 2023 Lexie continued to show signs of distress and discomfort, according to Kiera.

It’s still not completely clear exactly what happened to Lexie.

Kiera – who has since left her job at the nursery – claimed she was given conflicting accounts from her colleagues at the time.

One said Lexie was supervised when she threw her head back and struck the floor, and another indicated the staff member moved away before Lexie fell backwards.

Not happy with the nursery’s response, Kiera reported the incident to the Care Inspectorate, raising concerns about a lack of care, delayed communication, and the absence of an accident report at the time of collection. All three complaints were upheld.

Kiera, from Hogganfield in Glasgow, pursued a nursery injury claim through Digby Brown Solicitors after the nursery initially denied liability, leading to a court action.

However, the nursery’s insurance company ultimately agreed to a five-figure out-of-court settlement.

Kiera said: ‘That nursery was the very place where I worked, so I felt safe leaving Lexie there. It’s not because I expected my daughter to get special care or anything like that – it was simply because I believed in the staff, having worked beside them for so long.

‘It just makes it all the worse when your own colleagues and bosses let you down in this way.’

She said she was ‘horrified, terrified (and) furious’ when she learnt her daughter had been injured.

‘It’s still a mystery what happened – I’ll never know for sure,’ she added.

‘But the most important things are that Lexie is better, the nursery was held accountable, and hopefully, parents and nurseries learn something from this.’

A spokesperson for Digby Brown Solicitors commented: ‘The pictures of Lexie’s injuries are shocking, so one can only imagine how much scarier it must have been at the time for both mother and daughter.

‘We’re pleased that Lexie recovered and that Kiera secured the outcome she sought.

‘But this should rightly serve as an emphatic warning to childcare services everywhere – there are robust yet common-sense safety procedures for a reason, and they simply must be adhered to if children are to stay safe.’

A Primrose City Nursery spokesman told the Scottish Sun: ‘The care of children is absolutely critical to all aspects of our nursery. It is a very happy and safe environment for our many children.

‘A recent inspection concluded our setting is very good, and we were praised for our nurturing and inclusive ethos.

‘Unfortunately, we cannot discuss individual cases, but the wellbeing of our children and our service to their families is paramount to us.’

The Metro has contacted the nursery for a comment.

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