Yahoo Autos Mom sues, seeks answers after special-needs son chokes on glove, dies at Suntree daycare
Tarionn "Tari" Hanner loved water parks, stuffed animals and sunshine — in fact, his family kept no blinds on the windows or sliding-glass door of their Palm Bay home so the sun's rays could stream inside.
Tari's life unexpectedly ended six days after Thanksgiving. The 13-year-old special-needs child choked to death on a latex glove while he was left unsupervised at Angels on Earth, a Suntree daycare for medically complex children, his family's attorney said.
"Healing hasn't even begun. It's been a horror story," Tari's mother, Kiyana Durham, said during a Thursday press conference outside Angels on Earth, flanked by relatives and friends.
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Durham filed a wrongful death negligence lawsuit against Angels on Earth in January, seeking damages of more than $50,000 and information on her son's death. Litigation remains ongoing.
Douglas McCarron, the family's Coral Gables attorney, said his firm is working to determine who was in the room when Tari died, who was supervising during that shift, and what events led to his death.
McCarron said surveillance video exists from inside the care center, but he has not yet seen the footage.
"They can't do the basic fundamentals of care. And it's just an outrageous case. We want answers. The family wants answers," McCarron told the assembled media.
Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with an Angels on Earth phone receptionist and the company's Miami defense attorneys in the wrongful death lawsuit, Michele Morales and Karina Quinteiro.
"While our hearts go out to the grieving family, we are unable to comment on the pending litigation," Morales said in an email.
Angels on Earth also operates daycare centers in Orlando, Lakeland and Haines City. The Suntree daycare center was closed Thursday, and the company website was not functioning. The press conference took place just outside the Suntree facility's front door. Nearby, six white vans emblazoned with Angels on Earth imagery were parked in the Pineda Plaza lot.
In a twist last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Angels on Earth administrator Carlos Cabrera had been arrested and charged with Medicaid provider fraud, a first-degree felony.
