Aussie toddler's blood-curdling screams after 'horrendous' playground injury
The family was enjoying lunch when tragedy stuck. Now her mum is calling on the council for change.
A fun day out for one family turned "horrific" in an instant when the sound of a toddler's "blood-curdling" screams filled the air at a children's park.
Aussie mum Emma Ferrato said she's "still in shock" after hearing her toddler cry out in pain when she tripped and fell onto a hot metal plate, which caused significant and excruciating burns to most of her little body.
The family was enjoying lunch at Westport Water Park in from Port Macquarie, NSW, on Wednesday when the incident occurred. Ferrato said her daughter Holly had just finished eating and was running around on the grass "like all the other kids". Suddenly, the little one tripped on the elevated edge of the metal plate, sending her toppling forward onto it.
"My partner, who had followed her, scoped her up within 1 to 2 seconds but then that was it," the Port Macquarie local told Yahoo News Australia. "She was screaming, she had imprints of the metal and blisters on her skin. We went straight to the emergency".
Some burns 'likely to scar'
The metal plate was just metres from the children's play equipment and had been exposed to the blistering sun. It was only 11:45am on a 27-degree day but still, the outcome was "horrendous".
"The leg is paler than the hand burns, indicating a deeper burn and more likely to scar," Ferrato explained. "Her hands need to be stretched out multiple times a day so the creases don't fuse and require surgery. The bottom of her foot makes it painful for her to walk as well."
Horrific photos show the extent of Holly's burns before and after treatment at Westmead Children's Hospital who are "involved in her care". "But we don’t need to present there unless she needs surgery in 2 weeks if burns aren't healing properly," the mum explained.
Mum calls on council to take responsibility
Ferrato is still in disbelief over the incident that could have easily been avoided — especially since they regularly spend time outdoors camping and fishing, without injury.
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"We decided to do the kids' park instead of hanging out with the spiders, snakes and bullrout. But our baby had to be sedated with fentanyl and ketamine to treat the burns because we decided to go to a kids' play area instead of the state forest," she explained on Thursday.
The frustrated mother is now calling on the council to make changes to the park, insisting the "community deserves better". The dangers of metal slides are relatively known, she claims. "So why aren't metal plates on the ground in a child's play area banned?" she questioned
"Our children are a public responsibility to keep safe and have expectations on what safety precautions are in place when such places are made available to the public," she said. "There should be a standard across all Councils to not have any bare metal exposed in direct sunlight on the ground where children play."
"She tripped on it first, then landed on the blistering metal," she added. "If it was levelled out around the edges she probably would have run straight over the top and not tripped and fallen onto it with her one-year-old skin."
Warning to other parents as council responds
Hoping to avoid another incident like her daughter's, Ferrato shared photos of Holley's injuries on Facebook.
"Beware of this metal plate near the path," the distraught mum wrote. "Yesterday was only 27 degrees so on a hotter day, little feet might stick to it! What a horrendous experience. We are still in shock that a trip to a local kids' water park resulted in the below pictures and the recovery ahead for our baby".
Port Macquarie-Hasting Council told Yahoo News Australia that it was made aware of the incident via social media. "We empathise with her and the family for the injuries she has sustained, and we hope for a speedy recovery," a council spokesperson said on Thursday.
"Council staff and the park’s maintenance contractors are currently assessing the area and are taking appropriate actions to prioritise a safe playing environment for all."
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