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Mum devastated after barefoot toddler's close call outside Kmart

A child who nearly stepped on a syringe in a car park has sparked a mum’s warning to others to be extra careful while out and about.

Lauren Crean said last week outside the 24-hour Kmart in Waratah, Newcastle, her husband Brad was getting her daughter out of the car when he narrowly avoided stepping on the needle.

Had her daughter Piper have jumped out of the car like she would on a regular day, the consequences could have been catastrophic, Ms Crean told Yahoo News Australia.

“The only reason my partner helped her out that day was because it was raining,” Mrs Crean said of her almost three-year-old.

Two-year-old Piper pictured alongside needle on Kmart car park ground in Waratah, near Newcastle, NSW.
Piper may have stepped on the needle if she got herself out the car like she usually does. Source: Lauren Crean

“And she didn't have shoes on at the time and the thought of ‘what if?’ really scares and frightens me.”

The mum of two was distraught thinking of what might have happened if her husband didn’t spot the needle in time to avoid it.

“What could she have ended up with if she god forbid stood on it?,” Mrs Crean said.

“I'm ropable that there are people in this world that not only have this bad habit, but just leave their s**t laying around for children and or adults to step on.”

Photo of 24 hour Kmart in Waratah, Newcastle, after needle in car park nearly pricked two-year-old.
The mum said the needle was in the car park of the 24 hour Kmart in Waratah. Source: Google Maps/Phil Ingles

After sharing her family’s close call to a local Facebook group, others noted they too had noticed an issue with irresponsibly discarded needles in the area.

“Waratah is the worst for this,” one person wrote.

“Shocking. My husband and I pulled up at Waratah Kmart about a month ago and watched a guy shooting up on the backseat of his wagon with the door wide open just near the trolley bay,” someone else said.

“I found one at Civic Park a few months back as I always check the area before my son plays in case there is broken glass or needles,” another wrote.

Mrs Crean said she informed a shopping centre cleaner of her find and the syringe was removed from the parking lot.

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