MAVERICK CITIZEN
Playground swing collapses and cracks Langebaan boy’s skull
A six-year-old boy had to be rushed to hospital after what was meant to be playtime had almost fatal consequences at a play park in Langebaan.
What began as fun on the swings ended in near-tragedy and a cracked skull for six-year-old Tyreeq Joseph when the swing’s heavy wooden crossbeam collapsed on to his head.
The incident happened on Friday 22 January in a Langebaan, West Coast, play park. Resident Lavern Smith, who was in the play park, said the crossbeam was visibly loose.
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- Natasha Joseph is happy that her six-year-old son Tyreeq is alive after the crossbar of a swing at a play park fell on his head. (Photo: Supplied)
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- The crossbar of the swing at Langebaan play park along the West Coast fell on the head of six-year-old Tyreek Joseph, cracking the boy’s skull. (Photo: Supplied)
“Several children were playing in the park. His cousin Marcelino Joseph was pushing Tyreeq. After a couple of swings, the crossbeam fell on to the head of Tyreeq. He was screaming and in severe pain. Tyreeq got up and ran home,” Smith said.
Tyreeq’s mother Natasha was at home trying to put her four-year-old to sleep. She knew that Tyreeq and Marcelino had gone to play in the park near their home in Hopland, a housing scheme in Langebaan.
“All I could hear was my son crying and shouting ‘mommy my head is paining’. I got a huge shock when I noticed a lot of lumps on his head. My son was like a drunk person, struggled to walk and collapsed,” she said.
The mother called the ambulance. When paramedics arrived at their home she was told that her son needed to be rushed to Red Cross Hospital. Doctors immediately sedated Tyreeq to get the swelling down and assess his head injuries. Joseph said doctors discovered Tyreeq had sustained a crack to his skull from one ear to the other.
After two days in hospital, Tyreeq was released on Sunday, 24 January. His mother told Maverick Citizen that doctors had ordered that Tyreeq wear a special helmet for two weeks to protect his skull and allow the swelling to subside. She said the doctors would then reassess to determine if Tyreeq had suffered permanent or temporary damage to his brain and if so, the extent of the damage.
Joseph is happy her son is out of danger, but says she is worried about him wearing a helmet to protect his head and prevent further injuries. He needs to be constantly watched to ensure he doesn’t injure himself.
“There is no way that I can take off to look after my son. I’m also scared that one of his friends might accidentally hurt him. He is one of three grandchildren at home and my mother will look after them.
“On Sunday, when Tyreeq was released I was in tears when doctors showed me the x-rays indicating his skull was cracked from ear to ear,” said Joseph.
Tyreeq’s dad, Nathan Cupido, says he is just happy that his son is okay, noting that Tyreeq could have died from the severe blow.
Community activist Billy Claassen said the incident exemplifies the poor state of play parks in the poorest communities, in stark contrast to the condition of well-maintained play parks in affluent communities.
“Tyreeq’s mother cannot look after her son because she has to be at work. I believe the municipality should take responsibility for this incident and have a duty to assist the mother in this time of distress,” Claassen said.
Ethne Lawrence, spokesperson for Saldanha Bay Municipality, said the municipality will conduct a formal investigation. She said usage of municipal facilities and the safety of users were highly valued.
“Saldanha Bay Municipality will support the family where possible in this difficult time. The young boy is wished a full recovery,” Lawrence said. MC
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Many years ago when I was the Sunday Times’s consumer columnist I did a piece on the dangers of children’s playgrounds and more especially how this affected poorer communities. I went to Cape Town to do some of this and to talk to doctors at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. Many of the head injuries at the hospital were caused by playground incidents — either faulty swings etc, or the fact that the ground onto which kids fell, was not softened by grass, or rubberised types of substances. They fell onto hard ground. The younger the kids — the more likely an accident would be a head injury because of the weight of the head in relation to the rest of the body in small children. This area is one of many that were not addressed by the new government in 1994, or afterwards. And in this the Western Cape was no exception. I do hope the the parents are able (or assisted) to sue the City of Cape Town. It might be a wake-up call to address this problem. And it is countrywide.