Amy Smith, from Torquay, England, thought she was taking her 2-year-old for a fun outing to their local park on a quiet afternoon. The doting young mom found a comfortable seat from which to watch her tiny tot playing on the jungle gym, but it turned out the playground was not the safe haven she expected it to be.
But after letting go, Amy waited a little too long. Demi-Mai emerged after a few too many seconds, and that wasn’t all; the little girl was in floods of tears.
Demi-Mai dropped to her feet at the bottom of the slide and ran immediately to her mom. When Amy saw what was dripping down her tiny daughter’s legs, she froze in shock. Her baby girl’s rear and legs were covered in blood. The frantic mom immediately went to investigate the slide, and what she found inside made her sick to her stomach.
The fun-loving mom and daughter had been to Kitson Park many times before, and Amy had no reason to believe it wasn’t safe, but this time, something was different. Looking up into the enclosed slide, Amy found every parent’s worst nightmare: broken glass.
The horrified mom rushed her daughter to the emergency room. “The hospital cleaned up Demi’s wound,“ Amy regaled, ”and luckily she didn’t need any stitches.“ However, the little girl ”found the cut to be very sore,” and struggled to walk properly for some time after the injury.
After making sure her little girl was safe and taken care of, Amy and the authorities informed Torbay Council’s natural environment services about the broken glass. The council department cleared up the glass and made the slide safe for whoever wanted to use it next.
However, Amy remained determined to warn other parents so that they could keep their own children safe from unexpected dangers. “I hope by bringing what happened to people’s attention that it might help other parents avoid their children getting hurt,” she said.
Demi-Mai’s day at the park turned into a real-life nightmare for the little girl. Innocent play time should never pose a threat to vulnerable children, and Demi-Mai’s adventurous spirit may have been crushed by this frightening experience. Who knows for how long.
If you are a parent yourself or know any parents who would benefit from reading this cautionary tale, then be sure to share Amy’s earnest warning to parents everywhere. Sharing is caring, and little Demi-Mai’s scary experience doesn’t need to be repeated.