Call made for better health and safety
A Te Aroha couple is calling for better health and safety practices at A Day in the Domain, after their son was badly injured at this year’s event.
Vincent and Gaylene Klaassen made a last minute decision to take their children to Domain Day in March, which was going to be followed by an afternoon at the beach.
It’s a decision both agree they regret, not only because they are still unsure whether the damage to Jack’s knee is permanent, but also no one is prepared to take responsibility for what happened.
‘‘We should have gone straight to the beach,’’ Vincent Klaassen said.
‘‘Then we wouldn’t be dealing with this, being made to feel like this was in some way our fault.’’
Eager to have a go at bubble ball soccer, Jack had been placed in a bubble ball and was waiting for his turn when another child approached him from behind and pushed him over.
The motion meant Jack placed all the weight of his fall on his left knee.
Gaylene Klaassen said it was immediately noticeable that Jack had a serious injury.
‘‘He couldn’t put any weight on it, he was in a lot of pain.’’
Jack was taken to on-site St John paramedics and when she was told that it was a suspected sprain, Gaylene Klaassen, an experienced paramedic, decided to take the matter into her own hands.
‘‘I carried him up the bank, put him in the car and took him to Thames Hospital,’’ she said.
It was found by specialists at Waikato Hospital that all the ligaments in his left knee were torn.
What followed was more than a month in plaster, being trapped at home with no participation in physical activity and multiple trips for check ups.
A St John representative met with the Klaassens and accepted more could have been done on the day.
Because the event was held on a council reserve, Mayor Jan Barnes offered her sincere apologies.
But said it was not a council matter, because the council had nothing to do with the organisation of the event.
Day in the Domain organising committee members said they were sorry for what happened to Jack. They were given further opportunity to comment, but had nothing more to add.
A keen sportsman, Jack said not being able to run because of the risk of further damage to his knee makes him feel like he can’t do anything that he enjoys.
Gaylene Klaassen said all the family wanted was the Domain Day committee to revisit health and safety practices for the event next year, so no one else has to experience injury.
‘‘If something good can come out of all this, we are glad we told our story.’’