Mum angry after son, 10, injures leg stepping into Telstra 'hole'
A mother is hoping action will be taken after her 10-year-old son stepped into a hole next to a Telstra pit cover in Sydney's north and hurt his leg.
The woman, who wished to remain an anonymous, told Yahoo News Australia she and her 10-year-old son were walking down Dickinson Avenue in West Ryde on Monday night at about 8pm when her son's leg fell into the hole.
They had just been to dinner and were walking to their car along the road.
"He's 10, so it's not like we hold his hand or anything, suddenly, he screamed and we looked back and half his leg is in the hole," she said.
She explained the hole was about 20cm wide and now her son has a bruised leg and is limping.
From a safety perspective she could not believe the hole was even there, though she is glad something more serious didn't happen.
"If he was any younger and he didn't have his motor skills developed or anything, I'm sure he would not have landed as safely as he did," the woman said.
Once her son had calmed down following the fall, the mum went back to the hole to inspect it more closely and took some photos.
The images she sent through to Yahoo News Australia show a hole right next to what looks to be a pit cover, with the Telstra logo clearly seen on the cover.
The cover is right next to a footpath and the hole sinks in to the grass on the other side.
"I just didn't think it was right," she said, admitting she was quite angry her son was injured.
The woman said she didn't know if it was normal for the hole to be there and she questioned why it hadn't been fixed.
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, a Telstra spokesperson said the company appreciated the mother bringing the hazard to their attention.
"We thank the member of the public for raising this, and a grateful that no serious harm occurred to the young boy," the spokesperson said.
"We will ensure our relevant field services team are notified of the hazard so they can attend to the site to investigate, repair, make safe, or block off the hole."
Yahoo News Australia understands the temporary yellow lid has been replaced and a concrete lid has been installed at the pit in West Ryde.
What to do if you see damaged Telstra equipment
The Telstra spokesperson said there are several ways someone can bring hazards or damaged property to the attention of the company.
"If the public see damaged equipment including pits, pillars, cabinets, underground cables, overhead cables, elevated joints and manhole covers, the preferred method of reporting is via the Snap Send Solve app," the spokesperson said.
By doing so all relevant authorities including Telstra will be notified.
Otherwise, people can provide the relevant details through the Telstra website or by calling 13 22 03 for Telstra Equipment Damage.
However, if damaged Telstra equipment could cause danger to someone, calling 13 22 03 immediately and saying "report damages" is the best way to go about it, the spokesperson said.
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