Parents sue California childcare center after toddler’s alleged six-foot fall

Parents of a 23-month-old boy have sued Bay Club Clubhouse in El Segundo, saying a March 17, 2025 childcare session ended with a six-foot fall that left their son with a traumatic brain injury and hearing loss. Surveillance video appears to show a worker throwing the child into the air and failing to catch him before he hit the floor.

The lawsuit, filed in July 2026, centers on what happened inside the childcare operation at the Bay Club in Los Angeles County, where parents had placed a toddler in the care of staff while using the facility. Media accounts tied to the complaint say the child was playing with a staff member when the worker allegedly tossed him overhead and dropped him.

The age of the child matters here. At 23 months old, he was too young to describe the moment, the force of the fall or the symptoms that followed, leaving the case to turn on video, still images and the medical injuries documented afterward. Coverage based on the complaint says the family is alleging lasting harm, not a brief scare: a traumatic brain injury and ongoing hearing loss.

The case also puts a sharper light on the hidden risks of toddler care inside places that project an image of convenience and routine. In rooms meant for short supervised stays, the ordinary trust parents place in staff depends on training, clear boundaries around rough play and immediate documentation when an incident occurs. When a child is injured and the account comes from video rather than from the child or the worker, the quality of supervision becomes the central question.

Secondary reporting has also raised a question about whether the childcare operation is properly licensed by California authorities. That issue, if confirmed, would add another layer to the lawsuit, because licensing determines the standards a facility must meet for staffing, safety procedures and oversight.

For families, the alleged sequence is stark: a toddler, a staff member, a throw, a missed catch and a fall that, if the allegations hold, changed the child’s health in a single moment. For childcare operators, the suit is a reminder that safety lapses in toddler rooms can carry consequences far beyond the play area and into years of medical care, family disruption and legal scrutiny.