A 7-year-old boy was left bleeding after his foot became tangled in some playground netting. Photo / Supplied
A 7-year-old boy was left bleeding after his foot became tangled in some indoor playground netting, leaving him dangling upside down.
His father described seeing his son hanging from the indoor northern Auckland playground as “like a bloody rabbit in the trap”.
The incident happened on an elastic cargo-style net on January 24 at Monster Fun, Snells Beach.
His father, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald one of his concerns was how “buried” the equipment was within the back of the playground, out of direct view of parents.
He questioned what would have happened if the elastic had become wrapped around his son’s neck instead.
Monster Fun has since defended the safety of the equipment in an online statement.
The father said his son’s cousins and sister ran up to them, saying the young boy had become “trapped”.
“I walked out thinking it was going to be nothing. And then there he was, like a bloody rabbit in the trap, hanging upside down with his leg up in the air,” he said.
He said his foot became tangled under tension, and he was left hanging by his ankle, unable to free himself.
“He was distressed and calling for help,” he said.
He said the purpose of the particular equipment was for park-goers to jump through and down.
His father said the boy’s ankle was wrapped in the top layer of the netting. He held the sides with his hands for a few minutes before help came.
“I was supporting him and trying to get it off, but I just literally couldn’t pull the elastic in the right direction whilst trying to support him.”
After a staff member was alerted, his father told them to grab some scissors.
“The other staff member came back, and kind of from a different angle pulled the elastic from the other way, and it slipped off.”
Since the incident, the boy’s father made a post on the local community group, which had several comments from other concerned playground-goers.
“Our grandson was also trapped on the netting; my husband and other fathers were required to assist getting him free,” someone commented.
“My daughter injured her leg on this same area last year,” another said.
The Monster Fun owner responded to the incident on Facebook this afternoon, saying a permanent closure of the equipment was not warranted.
They acknowledged the distress this incident caused the family and to any others who have experienced a similar accident.
“We are relieved to report that according to staff declarations and CCTV footage, after first aid was performed and a plaster was placed, the child was able to keep playing around the playground, even in the same net again,” the Monster Fun owner said in a statement.
The owner confirmed similar incidents have happened before, but said they were not common.
“Our playground is certified by Playsafe, but, unfortunately, there is always going to be a percentage of risk,” Monster Fun said.
“Our responsibility is to identify potential hazards and minimise them as much as possible, which we have done in this case, and discussed this issue with Playsafe to find out the cause.”
The owner said this equipment met recognised international safety standards and had been designed, manufactured, and assessed to meet the requirements of EN 1176 and NZS 5828.
In particular, it had been tested for head and neck entrapment in accordance with the standard.
“With respect to arms or legs getting tangled, this happens when children loop or wrap the elastic straps around limbs, creating tension that is outside the intended mode of play.
“This behaviour would be classified as foreseeable misuse, rather than a design or compliance failure,” the owner said.
The owner said no serious injuries involving broken limbs have been reported.
In this case, they have added a sign warning supervisors and children not to wrap or loop the straps around arms and legs, the owner said.
They have also added staff training to improve rescue effectiveness and supervisory checks.
“We do let parents/supervisors inside the structure to supervise their children as our rules state adults supervision is needed,” the owner said.
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