Parents lay shaken baby charges against nursery school

21 June 2013 - 10:52 By Sapa
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Baby feet. File photo.
Baby feet. File photo.
Image: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

The parents of a baby girl who may have been left blind and brain damaged possibly due to shaken baby syndrome have laid a criminal charge against her nursery school.

Beeld reported that the six-month-old girl was so badly injured that doctors had given her only a 50 percent chance of survival.

Her parents dropped her off at the nursery school in Faerie Glen, Pretoria, last Wednesday morning.

The school called just after 10am and said the girl couldn't breathe and she was being rushed to the Faerie Glen Hospital.

The girl was resuscitated, then transferred by ambulance to the Wilgers Hospital while she had persistent seizures and convulsions.

At the Wilgers Hospital, a paediatrician initially thought she had meningitis but tests could not confirm this.

A paediatric neurologist did brain scans, which showed bleeding and swelling on her brain. She also had retinal bleeding.

The neurologist diagnosed shaken baby syndrome, the report said.

The owner of the Babbelbekkie nursery school said in a statement she had no idea what could have caused the baby's condition.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now