Abusive Head Trauma
Baby blinded by shaking; Madera caretaker arrested
A 34-year-old Madera woman was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of shaking a 4-month-old boy, causing what doctors said are permanent blindness and a loss of hearing to the infant, police said.
Natividad Marcus Reyes, 34, the boy’s baby sitter, was taken into custody about 7:15 p.m. at her home in the 1400 block of Austin Street, Madera police detective Sgt. Dino Lawson said.
Reyes faces felony charges of inflicting injury on a child and willful cruelty to a child, Lawson said.
Detectives began their investigation when they were called to Children’s Hospital Central California on July 25 for a suspected child abuse case, Lawson said. Doctors said the infant suffered a preretinal hemorrhage, Lawson said.
Reyes took care of the boy while his mother — Rosalia Gonzalez, her next-door neighbor — worked. During the investigation, Reyes confessed to police that she had shaken the baby, Lawson said.
Reyes’ four children, all 10 years old and younger, who live with her have been placed in protective custody, Lawson said.
In 2009, Reyes was charged with child abuse involving a fifth child of hers, Lawson said. She completed a parenting program and the case was dropped. That child now lives in Mexico.
Personal Injury and Victims of Abuse
In California and other States, parents rely on day care centers, babysitters, and schools to supervise their children and keep them safe. Unfortunately, in some instances, these child care providers neglect children under their care and cause serious personal injuries to children and sometimes even death
Shaken Baby Syndrome is a serious condition that is caused essentially when a person shakes a baby and thereby causes brain injury to the child. When supervising, babysitting, monitoring, and / or disciplining a child, it a vital that the caregiver NEVER EVER shake the child. First, it is not an effective way to discipline a child. More importantly, it can and does cause permanent and serious personal injuries to the child.
For more than 20 years, trial lawyer Gary A Kessler has represented children and adolescents abused by trusted child care parents. Our law firm has the resources and the professional will to thoroughly investigate, prepare, and present abuse and foster care negligence cases. We take systematic depositions from the victim and his or her psychotherapist, from psychiatric child abuse experts, from any witnesses, and from the perpetrator’s supervisors and organizational leaders. We seek to reveal all relevant facts and evidence, to establish psychological harm, and to demonstrate fault within the organization where appropriate.
No monetary amount can compensate for the damage that child care abuse causes. However, damage awards can be powerful financial incentives for foster care parents, foster care agencies, schools, and other organizations to screen and monitor their employees who regularly interact with children and teenagers. Adequate financial compensation can also defray the cost of long term psychotherapy and psychiatric care.
Throughout our personal injury practice, we devote our full personal attention to every case that we accept. We believe that effective representation in child care abuse cases requires not only exceptional legal skill, but the ability to respond to psychologically damaged children and outraged parents. If you or a loved one has experienced care negligence or abuse by a person in authority, please contact our law firm today.
