Aariya Sewnarain who was left badly injured after falling at her daycare centre in Chatsworth.
Image: Supplied
THE father of the two-year-old girl who sustained life-threatening injuries after allegedly falling off a balcony at a daycare facility in Chatsworth last Thursday is preparing to bring legal action against the owners.
The accident has left Atholl Sewnarain enraged as his toddler daughter Aariya sustained a fracture to her skull, among other injuries, and was in a fight for survival at a Durban hospital, known to the publication.
Sewnarain confirmed to the Daily News that he would be taking legal action against the creche following Aariya’s fall from the top floor of a double-storey building.
“This has been a traumatic experience for me and my family. I can confirm to that I will be pursuing legal action because we believe that the daycare was negligent in the duty to care for my child, and we have evidence to prove that my daughter was unsupervised when she fell last week,” he said.
According to the Reaction Unit of South Africa (Rusa), the little girl suffered a fractured right skull, resulting in an extradural hematoma and internal bleeding.
“We pay for daycare services because we believe our children are safe there. But my daughter is in the hospital because of negligence by the people at centre. I will not rest until justice is served on behalf of my child,” said Sewnarain.
Sewnarain granted the Daily News permission to name and use the picture of his daughter.
“I want them (creche) to see the damage they have done to us as a family. Government must also put strict protocols in place for people applying for licences to open daycare centres,” he said.
Amid his grief, Sewnarain remarked: “I don’t wish for any parent to go through what I am currently going through. We hope that my daughter will pull through.”
According to Rusa, on March 6, 2025, Sewnarain and his wife, Shivana, received a call from the principal requesting for Aariya to be fetched after falling while playing outside.
“On a second call to the school, the mother was informed that two kids were fighting and that resulted in a fall,” read a statement from Rusa.
Efforts to reach the daycare for their response to the incident via telephone and messages sent were not successful.
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