Suit filed in death of tot left in car

The parents of a toddler who died July 1 in a locked minivan outside a Bucks County daycare center - forgotten there for more than six hours - have filed a negligence lawsuit against the center and its owners.

Daniel Slutsky, 2, died of hyperthermia in the back seat of a van belonging to his neighbor, Rimma Shvartsman, a co-owner of Fairy Tales Daycare Center in Penndel.

In the suit, filed Tuesday in Philadelphia, Gil and Lyudmila Slutsky seek an unspecified amount of damages, saying Fairy Tales and its owners "were under a legal and moral duty to provide competent and safe care" for their son.

Law enforcement authorities are still investigating the death, and Bucks Count District Attorney Michelle Henry has not ruled out possible criminal charges.

The Slutskys' attorney, Daniel S. Weinstock, could not be reached immediately for comment. But in a prepared statement, he said the Slutskys "are absolutely shocked by what happened to their son, and are having an extremely difficult time moving on with their lives."

The statement said the Slutskys, who have declined to be interviewed, feel "totally devastated and betrayed" by Shvartsman, who lives two doors down from their Northampton Township home.

An attorney representing the Shvartsman and the daycare center was not immediately available for comment.

Contact staff writer Larry King at 215-345-0446 or lking@phillynews.com.