A MUM may sue Essex County Council after her daughter broke both wrists in a fall at a country park.
Rhianna Wallace, ten, fell about 8ft from a climbing frame at Great Notley Country Park.
Rhianna, of Acacia Ave-nue, Greenstead, Colchester, broke two bones in each wrist.
Her right wrist – the more seriously injured – needed a pin and wire to hold the bones in place while they set.
Rhianna had to wear a full-length cast on her right arm and a half-cast on her left for almost a month after the accident, on August 16.
She is now out of plaster and back at Gosbecks Primary School, but is still not allowed to take part in PE or to play with friends in the playground, because her wrists are too fragile.
Her mum, Brina Smith, said: “Rhianna is desperate to go back on the playground.
“She likes trampolining, but she can’t risk that either.”
Miss Smith, who also has two children under the age of three, claims the county council should have put a thicker layer of wood chippings under the play equipment to cushion youngsters’ falls.
A report by a paramedic, called to the scene after the accident, noted Rhianna had fallen on “a hard surface” and described the area as “hazardous”.
Miss Smith says she is worried other children using the play equipment could be even more badly hurt.
Figures released under a Freedom of Information Act request show 27 people were injured in Great Notley Country Park between June 1 and early September.
A county council spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate for Essex County Council to comment on any legal proceedings as these are private matters between the individual and ourselves.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel