Toddler suffers traumatic brain injury at California day care after facility lied about “minor fall”
A California family has launched a major lawsuit against an El Segundo day care facility after security footage exposed a devastating gap between staff reports and the reality of their child’s injuries. Matt and Elena Kittle were initially informed by employees at The Bay Club Clubhouse that their 23-month-old son had experienced a minor, low-level fall. However, subsequent medical diagnoses and a review of the venue’s internal CCTV network revealed that the toddler had actually plunged from a significant height, resulting in a traumatic brain injury and permanent physical damage.
The incident began when Matt Kittle dropped his son off at the facility before heading to a nearby country club for the morning. Staff members later placed an initial phone call to the father, claiming the toddler had merely fallen a foot and a half, sustained a negligible injury, and did not require early collection. This reassurance was short-lived; a second phone call arrived just fifteen minutes later, with employees admitting they were completely unable to calm the distressed child and requesting his immediate pickup.
Upon his arrival at the clubhouse, the severe physical trauma inflicted on the toddler was instantly visible, completely contradicting the facility’s initial assessment. According to formal legal documents, the right side of the boy’s face was severely bruised, his right eye was swollen completely shut, and his mouth exhibited significant swelling. After being taken home, the child manifested extreme drowsiness, lethargy, and intense irritability, prompting his parents to rush him to a local emergency room by mid-morning to evaluate him for acute blunt head trauma.
Hospital physicians officially diagnosed the 23-month-old with a traumatic brain injury, igniting the parents’ desperate search for factual answers. When the Kittles demanded access to the facility’s CCTV footage, the recorded data exposed a terrifying sequence of events. The legal paperwork states that the toddler was actually suspended at least six feet in the air when he fell, striking his head violently upon impact while multiple adults inside the room stood by and watched the aftermath without offering immediate, appropriate medical intervention.
The unfolding legal battle has also raised serious questions regarding the facility’s operational status and regulatory compliance. The lawsuit alleges that the El Segundo Bay Club is completely unlicensed by the California Department of Social Services. The legal filings claim the business has consistently avoided oversight by falsely claiming a regulatory exemption based on the premise that parents allegedly remain on-site while their children are being supervised.
As the legal proceedings advance, the long-term consequences of the facility’s negligence continue to impact the young victim. The Kittle family’s lawsuit notes that the toddler continues to experience persistent, severe symptoms directly tied to the traumatic brain injury, including a documented loss of hearing. Charging the Bay Club with negligence, battery, fraud, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, the parents are seeking a formal jury trial to determine a comprehensive damages award and hold the unlicensed facility fully accountable.
