> Derry boy injured on town's new slide

Tag : Road Safety Equipment

DERRY – Officials from the parks and recreation department sectioned off aportion of the new Mega Tower play system at Don Ball Park onHumphrey Road last week after a child slipped into a gap between astanding platform and an exterior plastic rock wall while playingin the center of the tower. As he fell to the ground, the boy hithis head on the platform hard enough to require 17 stitches abovehis right eye.
Myles Patient, 10, "was walking on the platform, bumped hishead on the rock wall, fell against the wall, which projected himinto the platform," Patient"s mother, Sandra, said. As hefell into a one-foot gap between the wall and the first storyplatform, he hit his face on the corner of the platform, she said.The accident happened on Oct. 25.
The Mega Tower is three stories and has slides on each side of thetower. There are also places for children to climb. Platforms toplay on are inside the tower. According to Miracle RecreationEquipment Company in Missouri, which sold the system to the town,the play systems are ideal for children between the ages of 5 and12.
Sandra Patient said the accident occurred because her son had a"buddy on the second level. He was communicating with him andlooking up when he bumped his head and fell down into theplatform."
Eric Bodenrader, director of the parks and recreation department,said the department installed the play system using its own crewsinstead of having Miracle Recreation do the work to save money, butall instructions for assembly were followed exactly as written.
Once he learned about the injury Myles sustained, Bodenrader spokewith his sales representative from the company. Miracle Recreationhas sent the town two panels at cost so the parks and recreationdepartment can install them in the area where the boy fell toprevent anyone from falling into the gap again, Bodenrader said.
"We followed the instructions to spec. We made themanufacturer aware of the accident first and foremost because wefollowed the process to their specifications," Bodenradersaid. "It is not the town"s problem."
The play system cost the town $62,000. It was ordered in thebeginning of September. The parks and recreation departmentreceived it on Sept. 25. Crews assembled the Mega Tower and thesystem was finished two weeks ago, Bodenrader said.
Employees at Miracle Recreation refused to comment on the injury.
"Miracle Recreation Equipment Company has no knowledge of howthe incident actually occurred and is unable to comment. Pleasenote that the Miracle Mega Tower Play System installed in Derry, NHin 2008 fully complies with the American Society for Testing andMaterials (ASTM) Designation F 1487-07ae1 Standard Consumer SafetyPerformance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use,and with the United States Consumer Product Safety CommissionGuidelines for Public Playground Safety," company spokesmanVanessa Ash said.
ASTM and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) providerecommendations for creating safe public playgrounds.
A public playground safety checklist from the CPSC states thatelevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, should have guardrailsto prevent falls. The commission wrote that 200,000 children in theUnited States go to the emergency room with injuries associatedwith playground equipment annually. Most of these injuries occurwhen a child falls from the equipment onto the ground, according tothe information preceding the checklist.
Bodenrader was glad Patient called his office after her son"sinjury and said the problem with the new play system will be fixedas soon as possible. Although he is disappointed a child wasinjured, he said, "The eight year old in me loves thatslide."
Don Ball Park"s playground has been a big hit with childrenand their parents since the town began improving the park. A waterpark was installed at the start of the summer and is very popularon hot summer days.
Bodenrader said of the park: "It looks great. The feedbackwe"ve had has been outstanding. People just love that park.It"s a great thing to be out there and see kids playing.It"s very rewarding."
The parks and recreation department was responsible for installingequipment at Hood Park in 2004 and Alexander Carr Park in the late1990s, Bodenrader said.
"Every time you put in a new structure, it"s a learningexperience," he said.
Patient said that since her son"s injury, the boy has been"low key" and has had trouble with reading and while onthe computer. She said he is still afraid of the play system, butshe is hopeful that once he heals the boy will be back to his oldself.