X-rays revealed painful injures had been sustained by the two six-year-old girls following the incident.
Two children were left ‘dangling from a climbing structure’ following an incident at a soft play in Edinburgh. Both girls, both six, were taken to hospital after the incident at Funparx on Tuesday, December 30.
Mums Chloe and Tyree have hit out at the centre and branded it “unsafe” following the “frightening” turn of events. Funparx have said that they are aware of what happened and that they take the safety and wellbeing of children “extremely seriously”.
The two girls were injured after a step in the soft play “gave way” and they were left “dangling in the air” before they were freed. It was only after they left the venue they realised the girls were badly hurt, and took them to hospital.
One has been left with a dislocated knee and muscle damage, with her friend now in a splint after breaking her wrist.
Speaking to our sister title Edinburgh Live, Chloe said: “We were sitting at a table right next to the soft play, so we could see the kids. As soon as we heard them screaming, we knew something was wrong. Any parent knows their child’s screams, so we ran to them straight away.
“They were basically trapped, stuck in that frame. They’ve went to come down these steps and tell us it was slipping away when it just went from under them.”
Her friend Tyree added: “It was really frightening. They were dangling head-first, it must have been at least four, five feet off the ground.”
The pair said they alerted staff at the venue straight away, who inspected the structure and reportedly agreed it was unsafe. However, both parents claim staff did nothing to close off the area.
Chloe said: “There was no attempt to make it safe. Kids were running up and down and playing on it straight after it happened, and most of the staff just went back to whatever they were doing before.
“That to me was a serious disregard for children’s safety.”
“The person who was supposedly a manager gave us ice packs and was going to leave it there and walk away, before I asked to fill out an accident form.”
They added their details were simply written on a piece of paper, as the manager said she was unable to print the form, which Chloe saw as a “red flag”.
Both mums asked for copies of an official accident form to be emailed to them, but are still waiting. An email from Funparx to Chloe explained the matter had been referred to insurers, who were said to be unavailable over the Christmas period, but would be in contact.
Bosses also apologised on behalf of Funparx following the incident and acknowledged the incident must have been “upsetting” for everyone involved.
Tyree said: “We’ve had absolutely nothing from Funparx. We asked for a copy of the accident form, the health and safety record and the blueprints of the soft play area and heard nothing. It’s so frustrating.”
Their daughters were left in a bad way following their ordeal. Tyree added: “She was in hysterics straight after. She even said to me ‘mummy, I thought I was going to die.’ She’s now in a lot of pain, as she has a buckle fracture in her wrist.”
Chloe said: “My daughter is autistic, and struggles quite a lot when she injures herself. She was quite distressed in hospital when they were trying to examine her leg, as they originally thought it was broken.”
The pair now say they have been left with “nowhere to go” with no further contact from the venue.
A spokesperson for Funparx said: “We are aware of the incident and take matters involving the safety and wellbeing of children extremely seriously. Funparx has established safety procedures in place across its attractions.
“The incident is currently under investigation with our insurers, and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
