You may have heard the story recently aired by WLOS News 13 about a little boy named Landon who suffered a severe injury while under the care of Merinda Cutshaw at Asheville Country Day School (a/k/a Asheville Country Daycare). I know that rumors abound when an incident like this occurs. I have first hand knowledge of the situation and would like to set the story straight.
Little Landon's mother arrived to pick him up from daycare after receiving a call telling her that it was not an emergency, but Landon was hurt. When she got there, she found Landon passed out in a chair in an unattended classroom. His sweat pants were stretched to capacity from his swollen thigh. His mother immediately recognized the severity of the situation and rushed him to Parkridge Hospital. His teacher explained that Landon "was a little dramatic sometimes, so she really didn't think it was that big of a deal." The hospital explained that contrary to the director's opinion, this child had extremely low blood pressure and was in shock as a result of the extreme break and blood loss in his leg. He was immediately transferred to Mission Hospital for surgery. Mission did not have an orthopedic surgeon that could do the surgery, so he was then transferred to Winston Salem's Baptist Children's Hospital.
The bottom line here is that Landon suffered such a severe break to his femur that the doctors have compared it to a grown man skiing down a slope at 60 mph and crashing into a tree. The director's claim that this injury occurred when Landon "collided with another child" is absolutely absurd. The fact that no one has been able to offer an explanation that is anywhere near plausible raises even more suspicion in my eyes.
I am not related to the family. I was not present when Landon was hurt. I have not spoken to any of his doctors. I am, however, a close friend who has been kept abreast of every turn in this nightmare. You can't imagine what this family is going through. And as much as little Landon is suffering, the family's main concern at this point is that this kind of harm will NEVER happen to another child in care at this center.
If you are a parent trying to decide whether to place your child in the care of this center, or a concerned parent who's child is already attending this center, I urge you to contact the Henderson County Department of Social Services and North Carolina's State Licensing Board. Please inform yourself about the possible dangers.
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