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AIBU?

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Original poster

Son fractured wrist at school and nothing was done!

56 replies

mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:31

My son (9) fell in the playground on friday at playtime, badly hurt his wrist and was looked at by a first-aider. She asked him to wiggle his fingers (he could) and then said there was nothing wrong with him and sent him back out to the playground. He then went back into class, and was apparently (according to his concerned friends) sobbing all afternoon. His teacher didn't ask what was wrong (presume she hadn't been made aware of the incident) and he had to carry on working for the rest of the day with no attention. At hometime when I saw him it was immediately apparent that he was extremely distressed, and just one look at his wrist was enough to see something was clearly not right. A different first aider looked at it, and suggested I get straight to a&e, which we did. Turned out that he had a distal radius fracture. I am very upset that noone thought to phone me/tell me, and he didn't have an accident/bump slip. When I went in to school yesterday to discuss it and express my concerns at the way he was dealt with, I asked several times about the accident book record and said I wanted to see it. I was basically told they'd look into it and get back to me. I would appreciate your thoughts/advice x

OP posts:
Patchouli · 28/01/2014 22:35

Was he being brave in front of staff?
I broke my wrist when I was a child and a doctor looked at it it and said to my mum: "well it can't be broken - she'd be in more pain than that"
Turned out it was broken and he was a GP.

anothernumberone · 28/01/2014 22:35

That is awful mrsshep. I presumed he wasn't complaining and under those circumstances it might have been missed but the fact he was crying I would be very upset. I would put it in writing and look to hear back from them in writing. They need to have a much more fool proof hand over of accident reports. Hope he heals quickly.

lookingfoxy · 28/01/2014 22:36

I wouldnt be happy about this eithet, when my ds was 5 he sat all afternoon in class with a black eye and the teacher never noticed, I raised hell and I now get a phone call for all bumps and bruises, the school do it for all the kids now.
Speak to the head teacher tomorrow morning.

magnumicelolly · 28/01/2014 22:43

I'm sure I've seen a number of posts on here with people saying how awful they felt when they didn't realise for a day or two that their own child had a fracture. I don't suppose the first aider did it on purpose, and it probably hadn't swollen when she saw it straight after he hurt it, so it probably looked much worse by the time you saw it. I bet she'll be mortified. It's not like she will have sent him back to play to be malicious! I'm surprised his teacher didn't ask what was wrong though. These things happen, he'll be ok soon!

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:45

Thanks, anothernumberone, I think that there are 2 separate things here- inadequate first aid care, and a teacher that ignores a clearly upset child. She never even asked him why he was crying! Just feel bad that my lovely boy had to endure this, and cross with the way they dealt with it. They were over-the-top nice when I went in to "have a word"- think they realise they haven't handled it well! X

OP posts:
sparklythings01 · 28/01/2014 22:46

In my school he would have been sent to first aid and possibly may have been sent out to play if not apparent how bad it was at first (but would have been logged in accident book and child given a slip detailing what had happened to take home). The teacher would be made aware and I would definitely be concerned if a child in my class was crying at all, especially all afternoon! And would be sending him back to first aid/ringing parents or at the very least expressing my concern to you at pick up.

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:46

Thanks, anothernumberone, I think that there are 2 separate things here- inadequate first aid care, and a teacher that ignores a clearly upset child. She never even asked him why he was crying! Just feel bad that my lovely boy had to endure this, and cross with the way they dealt with it. They were over-the-top nice when I went in to "have a word"- think they realise they haven't handled it well! X

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:46

Thanks, anothernumberone, I think that there are 2 separate things here- inadequate first aid care, and a teacher that ignores a clearly upset child. She never even asked him why he was crying! Just feel bad that my lovely boy had to endure this, and cross with the way they dealt with it. They were over-the-top nice when I went in to "have a word"- think they realise they haven't handled it well! X

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:46

Thanks, anothernumberone, I think that there are 2 separate things here- inadequate first aid care, and a teacher that ignores a clearly upset child. She never even asked him why he was crying! Just feel bad that my lovely boy had to endure this, and cross with the way they dealt with it. They were over-the-top nice when I went in to "have a word"- think they realise they haven't handled it well! X

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:46

Thanks, anothernumberone, I think that there are 2 separate things here- inadequate first aid care, and a teacher that ignores a clearly upset child. She never even asked him why he was crying! Just feel bad that my lovely boy had to endure this, and cross with the way they dealt with it. They were over-the-top nice when I went in to "have a word"- think they realise they haven't handled it well! X

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 28/01/2014 22:46

My Niece walked around for 3 days on a fractured foot so they're not always easy to spot.

However, no child should be sat in a classroom sobbing for any reason without the teacher asking them what's wrong.

Have you actually spoken to the teacher in question?

Hope he's feeling better btw Thanks

Migsy1 · 28/01/2014 22:48

Not acceptable. End of. I don't know what you can do though.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 28/01/2014 22:49

The same thing happened to my DS, although he was at a football club when he broke his wrist and he collided with another player, they made him sit and watch after giving it a look but as soon as I picked him up I knew it was broken, it was twice the size of the other one for a start p,us he was white as a sheet and really quiet and subdued, he just tucked it up Andre his other arm and did nothing.

They apologised, paid for a terms football coaching and gave him a free club kit, ball, lanyard etc without me even asking so they knew they'd made a mistake and I think with kids, it's just that, a mistake that they can only apologise and learn from.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 28/01/2014 22:50

Ignoring an upset child in class for so long isn't good though, I would speak to the school at least.

I hope your DS is feeling better soon. Thanks

Original poster
mrsshep · 28/01/2014 22:52

Sorry, this is my first post, don't know why my reply came up so many times! I agree sparklythings01- the very fact that you have an upset child in your class clearly needs investigation. I have a few friends that are primary teachers- and they all expressed disbelief and said that they would have phoned the parent x

OP posts:
Starballbunny · 28/01/2014 22:54

The first Aider I'll forgive. Both times DD2 has broken her wrist (radius clean through first time and radius and ulna clean through the second) it wasnt swollen and she could wiggle her fingers.

However, the teacher should have noticed he was in pain in lesson.

anothernumberone · 28/01/2014 22:56

I do agree with others that fractures can easily be missed so tbh I would not be that bothered about the first aider except for 2 aspects 1) if it wasn't logged and 2) if it was not raised with the teacher. A mere scratch gets recorded in our dd's school. The teacher leaving him cry though Sad I wonder did he try to be brave and hold it together otherwise that teacher is in the wrong job.

maddy68 · 28/01/2014 22:57

Sometimes if a child hurts themselves they will be upset even if they haven't really hurt themselves. A fracture s easy to miss. I mussed my sons for two days!!!
The first wider got it wrong but she is simply that a first wider not a doctor
I doubt, he was sobbing. All afternoon. A teacher couldn't teach with a sobbing child in the class. You are having a child's perspective on thus

These things happen, sometimes they get it wrong

BerylStreep · 28/01/2014 22:57

My DD (8) broke her ankle a few weeks ago in the playground at lunchtime. They just thought she had sprained it, and didn't phone me. The teacher met me at the gate and told me she had gone over on it. I realised as soon as we got home it was badly swollen, and went straight to minor injuries.

The teacher was really upset to learn that it was fractured and she hadn't realised. These things happen though.

YouTheCat · 28/01/2014 23:00

First aiders don't get much training. I get a day every three years and tbh the last training was crap with some ex paramedic wittering on about the dangers of paracetamol and what to do if a child drinks poison/how to deal with burns.

You don't get many burns/poisoning incidents in school. It would be more use to show us how to deal with general cuts, knocks and nose bleeds and what to look out for with head injuries.

I would have done the wiggle fingers thing but I would also have told the teacher and asked the child to come back to me if it was still painful at the end of play. The teacher should have bothered to ask what was up though. Leaving a child to cry for that length of time is not on at all.

WellThatsLife · 28/01/2014 23:05

My mum was a gp and missed my broken wrist! I was 9 at the time and had fallen over at the cm, when i wouldn't stop crying she called my mum who came and looked it, said i just sprained it and bandaged it up. It wasn't until later that evening when she looked at it again and I nearly went through the ceiling when she touched that she took me to a+e

coco44 · 28/01/2014 23:09

IME people with fractures have that awful grey pallor and are shakey and quiet

bodygoingsouth · 28/01/2014 23:11

I am a registered nursing sister and was a district nurse for years, now a TA. I am also a qualified first aider who received 'not bad' first aid training. sat quiet in the class and listened.

you can easily miss fractures in children, they make less fuss especially in a school environment.they also can hurt less than an adult.

however a child who was crying would always be pulled out of class and questioned. he's 9 so clearly able to say what hurts.

parents should have been called as a 'just in case' so you are right to be cross.

bodygoingsouth · 28/01/2014 23:12

coco44 they don't. if they did it would be much easier.

bodygoingsouth · 28/01/2014 23:15

I mean not all, some do some don't. some are definite at the scene and some only confirmed on X-ray.