California Daycare Worker Drops Toddler From Nearly Two Meters, Causing Severe Brain Injury

A disturbing lawsuit filed in California reveals a tragic incident at an upscale daycare where a 23-month-old toddler was severely injured. In March 2025, a daycare worker at The Bay Club in El Segundo lifted the child nearly two meters into the air as part of a game, lost her grip, and fell with the toddler onto the floor. The child suffered a traumatic brain injury and hearing loss as a result.

Security footage obtained by the toddler's parents, Matt and Alena Kittel, shows the worker holding the child identified as "C.K." above her head before both fell. The worker landed directly on the child, who immediately began crying hysterically. Initially, the daycare downplayed the injury, claiming it was a minor fall from a low height. They first told the father the child was calm and did not need to be picked up, then called again 15 minutes later urgently requesting his presence, still minimizing the severity.

Upon arrival, the father found the toddler with severe bruising on the right side of his face, a swollen and closed right eye, and a swollen mouth. The child was lethargic and irritable and was taken to Torrance hospital where he was diagnosed with a blunt head trauma and traumatic brain injury. The parents rejected the daycare’s version of events and demanded the video, which exposed the true extent of the fall.

The lawsuit also accuses the daycare of serious regulatory violations, operating without a license from California’s Department of Social Services and falsely claiming parents remained on-site while children were supposedly supervised. In reality, parents were allowed to leave, leaving children unattended. The parents are suing for gross negligence, assault, fraud, and emotional distress, seeking substantial damages to be determined by a jury. The Bay Club has not yet responded to the allegations.