SAN ANTONIO – The parents of an infant bitten more than two dozen times by another child is suing the provider of an illegal home day care where they say it happened.
John and Jeanette Betancourt said Thursday they want to make sure no other parents go through the same ordeal they have, and that education is the best way to make sure that happens.
They filed a lawsuit in Bexar County District Court against the operator of the unlicensed home day care where they say the serious injuries happened.
The Betancourts say their son was bitten by another child more than two dozen times at the home day care, which they discovered afterward, did not have a proper permit from the state.
The exact number of bites is unclear. The family says 27, though the lawsuit says "as many as, but not more than" 25.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Protective Services said Child Care Licensing began an investigation on Monday, and it appears the day care care had been operating for eight years.
Child Care Licensing and the San Antonio Police Department both have ongoing investigations.
The Betancourts' lawsuit claims the day care operator's negligence led to their son's injuries.
"And we don't want her to be able to get a license, to be able to operate, to be able to be with children ever again, and to prevent other people from having to go through this situation by becoming educated and be able to know exactly what they need to do," Jeanette Betancourt told reporters at a news conference at the office of the couple's attorney, Thomas J. Henry.
The lawsuit states their son suffered "severe bodily injuries" and some of the effects are "permanent and will abide with (their son) for a long time into the future, if not for his entire life."
Jeanette Betancourt said Thursday her son was "definitely on the right path to getting better," though the bites are still evident.
The family is suing for damages, including: past and future medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, and disfigurement.
The day care provider did not return multiple phone calls from KSAT 12 News.
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