A York County man is facing multiple felony charges after a 1-month-old infant in his care suffered injuries. Pennsylvania State Police investigated the injuries after the child was initially treated at WellSpan York Hospital before being transported to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for further care.
According to cumberlink.com, the man was charged with aggravated assault of a person younger than 13 by a person 18 or older, aggravated assault of a person younger than 6 by a person 18 or older, and child endangerment. Investigators interviewed the man, who has denied causing the child's injuries. Information about whether he had appeared before a judge was not included in the material reviewed.
A Pattern of Injuries Doctors Flagged as Abuse
A report described injuries to the child. The child's injuries included subarachnoid hemorrhages, widespread damage to the cerebral cortex described as a global cortical brain injury, retinal hemorrhages, bruising to the sides of the body, and additional injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.
The report described brain bleeding, retinal hemorrhages and healing rib fractures. Per the same account, the child was in the man's care.
Why Hershey Medical Center Was Involved
Hershey Medical Center is a Level 1 pediatric trauma center in central Pennsylvania and operates a dedicated Center for the Protection of Children, staffed by board-certified child abuse pediatricians who evaluate severe pediatric injuries, according to Penn State Health. Hershey Medical Center has specialized expertise in evaluating severe pediatric injuries.
Properly used restraint systems are engineered to absorb collision forces, while improper car-seat use can cause infant head injuries. Medical professionals may recognize possible non-accidental injuries in children.
Infants Face the Highest Risk in Pennsylvania
Infants are particularly vulnerable to abuse.
Earlier this year, county officials, law enforcement officers and child advocacy organizations planted 260 flags at the York County Emergency Center to honor child abuse victims in the county as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Part of a Troubling Local Pattern
This case adds to a string of severe child abuse and endangerment cases that have surfaced in York County in recent months, including a February case in which a mother, grandmother and uncle faced child torture charges in York County, and a case from Sunday in which a York Haven man was charged with raping a child over seven years and held on $1 million bail. Information about whether the man had appeared before a judge was not included in the material reviewed.
