A six-month-old baby was seriously injured on Monday at a babysitter’s house in Kessel-Lo, Flemish Brabant, the Leuven public prosecutor’s office said, confirming information relayed by Het Nieuwsblad. The baby fell on a changing table, this fall causing a fracture of the skull and a cerebral hemorrhage. The incident happened Monday morning around 10:30 a.m.
Immediate loss of consciousness
The foster mother said she was holding the child in her arms when he slipped from her and fell on the changing table. “So he didn’t fall from a height, but the impact of the fall was significant.”, underlined the spokesperson for the prosecution, Sarah Callewaert. “The child immediately lost consciousnessThe baby was resuscitated and taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and a cerebral hemorrhage. He is now kept in an induced coma.
The prosecution has appointed a medical examiner to shed light on the precise circumstances of the accident and to verify whether the statements of the foster mother are accurate. In Flanders, the childcare sector is going through a turbulent period as several crèches have recently been forced to close due to serious accidents or reports of abuse.
Last year, a six-month-old baby died at a nursery in Mariakerke, near Ghent, where problems had already been revealed. In the process, an audit of the inspection and management processes of childcare centers in Flanders was commissioned, which revealed shortcomings at various levels.