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Last Monday, a Mebane woman pleaded guilty to slamming the head of a toddler against a wall. She was babysitting the boy; her actions may have caused life-long brain damage.
The 23-year-old resident of Norris Mobile Home Park pleaded guilty to the December 11th charge of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury. A New York Criminal Attorney reports that investigators believe she became angry or impatient with the 2-year-old boy and pushed him hard into a kitchen wall, which fractured his skull, leaving him with brain swelling and hemorrhaging eyes.
The Superior Court judge presiding over the case, took statements from the accused and her father, as well as the toddler’s family. The judge sentenced the 23-year-old to 59-80 months in prison. He reported that decision would not guarantee the health of the boy who was harmed.
Doctors at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill were doubtful that the boy would even survive the attack since he was left unattended for so long afterward. If he did survive, they weren’t sure if he would be brain damaged for the rest of his life or not.
Amazingly, the boy has recovered and is verbally advanced for his age. However, doctors report that because his brain has a lot of growing still yet to do, they aren’t sure if his brain will develop normally from here on.
The toddler’s hospitalization lasted for 20 days.
His father returned home from work and found him unresponsive in his crib on the evening of December 11. At the time, the 23-year-old babysitter was dating him. She had been left at the home to care for his 2-year-old and her own 3-year-old son from a previous relationship. When the boy started having seizures, his father called 911.
According to a New York Brain Injury Attorney, when investigators questioned the 23-year-old, she gave several different accounts of how the child sustained his injuries. After a long process, she finally admitted to losing her patience when he kept asking the same questions repeatedly. Investigators also found an empty bottle of tequila and evidence that she had cleaned up the blood. In Manhattan and in Nassau County, NY Brain Injury Lawyers are aware of the resulting lose of life and quality of life caused by skull fracture.
Because “she had the presence of mind to clean up and hid her actions” but “did not call for help for my grandson,” the boy’s grandmother told the presiding judge, she should be sentenced to jail time and rehabilitation for substance abuse. The grandmother said it wasn’t about revenge, but about getting her the help she needed to keep from abusing another child.
If you find yourself in need of legal advice in a criminal case, contact a New York Criminal Attorney whose professional guidance will help you make the hard decisions necessary in such situations. Their professional expertise will save you many nights of worry. The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.