Son knocked unconscious on Butlins ride.

Tigsteroonie

Bunnies10 wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

As the title says, my son was knocked unconscious on the Dodgems. I know you should expect these things, but they do have a no bumping rule

However, I am also as annoyed about the subsequent care and no accident book filled in - I thought this was mandatory?

I have pasted below what I have sent them, and I received a request to speak to someone from Head Office within 90 minutes of sending it!

Before I speak to them does anyone here know what my rights are? I have looked on H&S site and it would seem members of the public cannot refer directly?

This is what I sent them "On a day vist to celebrate my 7 year old's birthday my other child (M) suffered a severe injury. At approximately 1.30pm on 21st August 2013 I was on the dodgems ride with my 8 year old son, M. During the ride we were shunted directly from behind, this was more than a 'passing blow'.

My son was thrust forward onto the safety bar and fell back into the chair and hit the back of his head on the chair.

Within 30 seconds he was unconscious and had gone an awful grey colour. I thought he was dead. I shouted and waved my arms repeatedly for the operative to turn off the ride. By this time I had pulled over to the side, and we were being knocked from behind by the other users on the ride.

As I could not get the operatives attention - he was gazing into space- I started screaming and other users heard me and got the operatives attention. My husband rushed over and tried to pull my son out of the car. I told him not to as my son had received a blow that had been severe enough to render him unconscious. Unfortunately two other members of the public rushed over and said they were first aiders and pulled my son out. Luckily my son did not suffer further injury as part of their actions.

At this point the Butlins first aider had arrived. My son also regained conscioiusness at this point. He was not speaking and was still an awful colour.

THe first aider took us to a 'first aid room' and did a couple of very basic checks. He waved his fingers in front of my son and asked if my son could see his fingers and squeezed my sons fingers. I had told the first aider that my son had been unconscious as a result of an impact to the chest and then the fall back into the chair. My son was communicating, albeit, very subdued.

The first aider then sent us on our way. I just wanted to get away from the situation, it was clear the first aider did not really know what to do, and so we left.

At no point did the first aider ask our details or fill in an accident book.

Subsequently we took my son to A&E. I was concerned about internal injury as a result of hitting the bar on the Dodgem so forcefully and because he had a head injury, which combined had been sufficient to render him unconscious.

My concerns are this:
1) The operative was inadequately trained and lucid enough to be operating the ride. He was allowing severe bumping. As we had queued we saw a boy taken off by his father crying and holding his stomach on the previous ride. Please see the article below, apparently refering to the guidence for no bumping, which was not being adherred to.

A LINK TO EXAMPLES OF ARTICLES REPORTING BUTLINS NO BUMPING RULE .

2) The first aider acted inappropriately given the seriousness of the injury. We were advised by staff at the A & E department that an ambulance should have been called onsite at Butlins. The first aid training seems wholly inadequate to protect the users of the fairground.

3) No details were asked and the incident was not reported. I believe it should have been; please see RIDDOR guidance below. We should at the very least have had our contact details taken so a member of staff with Health and Safety experience could have contected us to assess if a report to RIDDOR was required.

Fairground injuries?A member of the public banged their head on the ride when it stopped unexpectedly. They looked OK but went off to hospital for a check up anyway.

Yes, if there was an apparent head injury. You must report cases where a person not at work is injured due to a work-related accident, and is taken from your premises to a hospital for treatment to that injury. However, if are you later informed that the hospital could find no injury, not even a minor cut or abrasion, then you do not have to make a report. Where there is no apparent injury, and a person is taken to hospital as a purely precautionary measure, this should not be reported.


As a result of this incident my other child's birthday trip out was ruined. He witnessed the distress of his brother and I. He remembers his 7th birthday as the birthday where his brother nearly died. For 3/4 days after the accident M had lethergy, seemed 'out of sorts' and complained of sickness. Both his Father and I were incredibly anxious that he had sustained some internal damage, either as a result of the chest or head injury.

I would like to see some action on your behalf to make sure this nevers happens again. I want to know what training your staff receive and improve it. It clearly is not adequate both from the operative who worked the Dodgems and the First Aider who attended.

I would also like you to appreciate that we had a traumatic and dangerous experience, due to failings on Butlins part. Butlins failed in their Duty of Care. To see that serious injury would occur as a result of no seatbelts and repeated and forceful bumping being allowed in the Dodgems was foreseeable.

Due to the seriousness of this complaint I would like a response within 7 days as to the action that has been taken to make sure conditions have improved. "


THank you for reading all of that,
Any advice appreciated.
Bunnies10

still had it on screen!

JReacher1

She was quite a card. I suspect she won't be back

dibuzz

I had sympathy until I read that whilst you queued you saw a boy taken off the ride by his dad crying and holding his stomach.
That would have been enough for me to say "sorry lads this doesn't look safe to me, let's go on something else."

OlliesDad

dibuzz wrote: »

I had sympathy until I read that whilst you queued you saw a boy taken off the ride by his dad crying and holding his stomach.
That would have been enough for me to say "sorry lads this doesn't look safe to me, let's go on something else."

I was just about hanging in there until "He remembers his 7th birthday as the birthday where his brother nearly died"

While yes it seems it was a traumatic experience, I'm not sure how Butlins could have prevented it. They may set rules of no bumping, but if somebody decides to ignore this then the operator has no control of it. The after care does seem woeful and some retraining is needed.

notanewuser

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

still had it on screen!

Nice one. :beer:

Poppie68

Beggars belief when a parent can be so dramatic and give such a daming report of the failings of Butlins, but she was the one who decided to take her son on the ride herself.
OP surely the people who were on the bumper cars previous to you where not driving round in nice sedate circles?
They are called bumper cars for a reason, next time take him on the teacups. As for your other son 'remembering his birthday as the day his brother nearly died'???? As other posters have said, why did'nt you call an ambulance or ask the staff to.

earthstorm

when i was a kid ( many moons ago) you went on dodgems and could travel anyway you wanted and bump anyone.
now it seems you have to all travel in the same direction and not bump into each other ( so the fun taken out of the ride)

forgotmyname

Health and safety spoils everything. Wait until he grows up and mummy wont let him be a soldier or a baker or anything because something may harm him.

The worlds dangerous, Elders teach the younger ones about the danger, They learn by listening or the hard way by not listening.

Did you warn him to hold tight?

earthstorm

forgotmyname wrote: »

Health and safety spoils everything.

That's true, I do a H & S refresher course every year and i am amazed at the changes every year. no idea why i still do these as no longer working in a field that needs this. i got my basic H&S cert in 1984 then in 1992 helped set up a heritage railway as a volunteer and part of the requirement at the time to get the running licence from Dept of transport was to have a full H&S officer available, as the railway belonged to local authority they had a H&S officer, but he could not be made available anytime he was needed, so as i had basic H&S i was put forward to do full course (3 years course) no idea what it cost as council paid this as long as i covered the annual refresher costs ( £50)

shaun_from_Africa

earthstorm wrote: »

now it seems you have to all travel in the same direction and not bump into each other ( so the fun taken out of the ride)

It sounds about the same as a drive on the M25, and probably about as much fun.