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DCF: Human Error Led To Day Care Van Death

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Human error not 'procedures in place' led to the death of a two-year old girl who was left in a Delray Beach day care van in August.

That's the conclusion of the state's investigation into the death of Haile Brockington at the Katie's Kids Learning Center.

Department of Children and Families investigators found three of the child care center's employees, including the center's director Petra Rodriguez, failed to follow facility owners' procedures for keeping track of the children while they were on the grounds.

In the report investigators noted that the van's driver, Amanda Inman, broke the facility's rules on the morning of August 5th by completing a checklist of children who had gotten off the van while the kids were still strapped in their seats.

Once the van arrived at Katie's Kids, Rodriguez was supposed to help the kids off the van and make sure no one was left behind, but she was busy that day and never got around to it. Instead she sent Leima Gleen, the third employee cited in the report, to perform that assignment. Gleen reportedly failed to check to make sure that the van was empty.

Investigators also found that on the day Brockington died there was only one staff person to watch over eight children which violated state law of a minimum of two employees for eight children.

The center's owners, Kathryn Muhammad and Barbara Dilthey, have shut down Katie's Kids and relinquished its license. They also agreed to pay two thousand dollars in fines for violating day care facility regulations.

Inman, who was terminated, and Rodriguez have both been charged aggravated manslaughter.

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