Accident at Nursey

amus

I got a call the other day from my sons nursery saying I would have to pick him up and take him to A&E due to a head injury/cut.

I went to get him and it turns out he was running and ended up hitting his head on the sharp corner of a wooden unit which holds the childrens trays. This resulted in a cut about and 4cm across and about 1/2cm wide in between his eye and his eyebrow, which is now black and blue.

Took him to hospital and he had to have it glued but luckily no other problems.

I suppose Im asking for advice on what to do, Im concerned that this is going to result in a noticable scar and I dont think the nursery should have had these units with sharp corners sticking out all over the place.

I know accidents happen and am reluctant to put a claim in but at the same time am not happy that this has happened.

Opinions please?

Lara44

Hmm, I know you must be really upset... but a nursery without furniture?? Accidents can happen anywhere at any time, you won't always be able to control your son's environment. There's an argument that kids need to be exposed to some risks in order to be able to manage risk well for themselves later.

vixarooni

Its people like you that make me want to vom at today's society.

Your son had an accident, it was nobody's fault. Perhaps you should take him to a nursery with padded walls and ceilings, with no toys but his imagination to play in. Then he'd be safe!!!

milliebear00001

If it was me, I'd want to see the corner that caused the injury and be told what, if anything, they plan to do to prevent it happening again.

There are products available to prevent injuries from sharp corners so I am quite surprised they aren't already using these.

Having said that, accidents do happen, and it may be that this one wasn't reasonably preventable.

How old is your son?

Person_one

amus wrote: »

I know accidents happen and am reluctant to put a claim in but at the same time am not happy that this has happened.

Opinions please?

I'm afraid you've given yourself away by saying 'put a claim in' rather than 'make a formal complaint' or 'arrange a meeting with the managers'.

No point pretending safety is your concern now.

CH27

amus wrote: »

I got a call the other day from my sons nursery saying I would have to pick him up and take him to A&E due to a head injury/cut.

I went to get him and it turns out he was running and ended up hitting his head on the sharp corner of a wooden unit which holds the childrens trays. This resulted in a cut about and 4cm across and about 1/2cm wide in between his eye and his eyebrow, which is now black and blue.

Took him to hospital and he had to have it glued but luckily no other problems.

I suppose Im asking for advice on what to do, Im concerned that this is going to result in a noticable scar and I dont think the nursery should have had these units with sharp corners sticking out all over the place.

I know accidents happen and am reluctant to put a claim in but at the same time am not happy that this has happened.

Opinions please?

Yes they do.
Do you want your son in a padded room to stop him hurting himself?

amus

milliebear00001 wrote: »

If it was me, I'd want to see the corner that caused the injury and be told what, if anything, they plan to do to prevent it happening again.

There are products available to prevent injuries from sharp corners so I am quite surprised they aren't already using these.

Having said that, accidents do happen, and it may be that this one wasn't reasonably preventable.

How old is your son?

Thanks for your constructive advice.

Thats what I was thinking to be honest, like I said Im not really keen on the idea of putting in a claim, perhaps I should suggest they have coverings or likewise for the sharp corners? Its not that I would expect them not to have furniture, but surely in a nursery they should cover sharp corners?

I wouldnt like to think waht would have happened had it been an inch lower.

amus

Person_one wrote: »

I'm afraid you've given yourself away by saying 'put a claim in' rather than 'make a formal complaint' or 'arrange a meeting with the managers'.

No point pretending safety is your concern now.

Of course I have considered it, thats why I was asking for advice. I never said I had made up my mind. Thats the sort of society we live in, and if Im honest Im no fan of it myself, but if you cant beat em....

amus

CH27 wrote: »

Yes they do.
Do you want your son in a padded room to stop him hurting himself?

Theres a difference between accidents which could reasonably have been avoided.

You wouldnt leave knives lying round a nursery, there are certain steps to take in nursery environments and I think covering sharp corners would be a reasonable step.

kingfisherblue

The units that hold the children's trays are designed to be in nurseries and classrooms, and the corners are usually rounded rather than sharp. They don't tend to have 'sharp corners sticking out all over the place'. However, as your son was running, he has bumped into the corner, sharp or otherwise, and sustained an injury. If the corners really are sharp, you could ask that they are covered with protectors or that the unit is removed from an area that is accessible by the children.

The nursery called you and asked you to take him to A&E. They will also hopefully have filled in an incident report, and you can request a copy of this. many places ask you to sign the report.

I'm not sure what else the nursery could have done, TBH. Accidents do happen, even in places that you consider safe. There is nothing to suggest that the nursery has been negligent, so I don't really know what you could claim for if you decided to go down that path. In addition, if you do decide to claim compensation, you could ruin any relationship that you have built up wiuth the nursery - fine of you are planning to move your son, but otherwise not a brilliant idea.

I hope your son is ok. Don't worry about the scar - my daughter had a bump when she was a tot, and has a small scar above her eyebrow (three stitches). It is barely noticeable and my daughter is a beautiful 21 year old young lady.

meritaten

had it been an inch lower and your son was blinded - would those who post be quite so scathing about sueing?
I would want to see where the accident happened...........and work out if it was preventable or was negligent.
Yes, accidents happen - but many of them are preventable if people take precautions.
If you are satisfied that all precautions were taken, then fair enough it was an 'accident'. If, however, precautions are now put in place then you could argue that they should have been done sooner.......which would have prevented your sons accident!
Up to you hun - decide for yourself if the nursery could have foreseen your childs accident and taken measures to prevent it. if so, then either make sure they make the area safe and/or sue them.
btw - if your son has a permanent scar he has three years after he comes of age to sue on his own behalf against that nursery if you decide not to.