to want to sue leisure centre for a birthday party injury

[KellyMarieBoomBoom]

DS attended a 6th birthday bowling party on Saturday. As far as I understand the (very nice and blameless IMO) parents were being sensible and supervising, I believe with some friends' help. However, DS managed to drop the heaviest ball on his foot, whilst the Mum had turned her back to deal with food. He was in absolute agony, with a bloody, crushed big toe. This resulted in an ambulance being called, hours in A&E, and an operation under general anaesthetic yesterday, to repair his mangled toe. An awful thing to happen at the best of times, made worse by it being his birthday on Sunday, which was pretty dire.
I am really angry with the leisure centre. It was an organised party and on its website it says "with supervision at all times you can have peace of mind that your child will have a great time in a fun and safe environment." Clearly this was not the case! The ball was 13lb, and the recommended weight for a ball for his age is 5lb. I don't think that children of his age should have access to balls weighing this much....surely they could have removed them? He wasn't even wearing shoes - they don't supply them for kids (yet are happy to put on parties). I really don't want to let them just get away with this, mainly so that another kid gets a ruined toe/birthday, but also because I'm so bloody angry about it. Could I sue them? Am I over-reacting? AIBU?

The other problem is that your son may have been told only to handle say the yellow balls, but when the mum's back was turned, sneaked into the next aisle and deliberately selected a heavier one to lift in front of his friends. This is not an unlikely scenario.

In our last party, the supervisor removed the heavier balls from our lanes, so the children all took the appropriate ones, but I don't think they removed them from the next one that was empty.

Keeping an eye on everyone at bowling is very difficult, especially if you are also arranging the party. I had several parents stay and even then, there were times when the children went off to the loo or went around the amusement part for a little while by themselves. You can't keep 10 children sitting down in one place for 2 hours, it's just not possible. A similar type of accident could happen at soft play.

His bf has invited him to HIS evil bowling party!

He wants to go! I'll stay and be hawk watchful ....

Put him in huge steel capped clown shoes.

I learned the hard way OP.
My little darling got his head stuck in a teddy picker at aCharlie Chalk party when he was wee.

Fire brigade job.
Square bruise like an equator around his head.

On the plus side if he keeps getting into tangles people will stop inviting him so you won't have to rush around buying tat for his class chums.

Never allow him to go to a swim party.
Learn from me.
He won't listen to instruction, he will get friction burns on his arse and he will tell the checkout lady in asda that His bum burns because Mummy rubs it too much.

Bf!!! You've made me laugh and made me see error of ways!

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hi op, so very sorry to hear about your sons accident. it is shocking and upsetting and I really hope this doesn't cause permanent damage.

speak to his medical team first to see if this is the case although you may need to just see how he goes.

definatly write to the leisure centre owners and inform the health and safety executive. if practises can be tightend up you may be saving other children injury.

these might include parents having to be in site supervising their own children at all times, so be it.

as for the slightly sneery remarks on the compensation culture unfortunately in life businesses and institutions only understand being hit in the pocket. they won't change otherwise.

I am so glad we are able to get compensation for our dd after an accident. she is permanently affected and we were financially hit very hard due to taking time off work. we have to sue.

I do take the point that there is a culture of what can we get out of this but in our case we are hoping that by our class action suing we can change policies on school trips.

suing can be a bloody good thing and save future lives.

YABU and greedy. I hate this compensation culture.

This. Why do some not take personal responsibility any more? It was an ACCIDENT.
I'm sorry your ds was hurt, but sometimes these things happen - how in the hell is it the bowling place's fault when they stress that children should be supervised?!
Bowling balls are bloody heavy whichever one you pick up. If one landed on your toe as a child, it would probably cause damage whatever the size!
It's attitudes like yours that gets ridiculous things banned, like the fact that children at our school aren't allowed to play 'tig' an more (was a childhood classic when I was at school) and that's presumably been banned because they're too scared of screaming parents threatening to sue if their little Johnny falls over.
Why don't we just wrap them all up in cotton wool and never let them play. That ought to do it.

Bowling parties are fantastic when they're about 13, and you just deliver the lot of them at start time, agree to pay for whatever they consume (like locusts, so bring a card with plenty of space on it) and then you just sit and MN in the pub next door (though only) until you pick them up and play taxi delivering them home. Or worse, take them back to yours to sleep over.

Bertie if I was opposing counsel I would argue that the 'peace of mind' doesn't mean because of the supervision but refers to the promise that it is a 'fun and safe environment' so if the parents supervise they can have peace of mind that their child will be in a fun and safe environment.

Bit of a moot point but I don't think their website wording has been near a legal bod!

I can understand you being upset, it's a pretty bad accident. Maybe they could do a better job of warning the kids about how to use balls and which ones etc.

What are you going to sue them for? I think YABU and trying to profit from your sons unfortunate injury. Put your efforts into nursing your some rather than making a quick buck!

You should worry. One of my children insisted on a horse riding party for one birthday. No one got injured, but the look of fear and horror on the faces of some party goers was terrible. Now that was cruel and I can't actually believe that we agreed to it.

That aside, accidents do happen. The same child who had the horse riding party broke their wrist while learning to snowboard. You just have to chalk some things up to bitter experience and move on.

Your poor son OP, hope he is feeling better soon.

He is going to be popular at school, telling everyone his horror story and showing his war wound off

money aside how is he now ?

Yabu

Poor little boy! And having gone through a GA and surgery with him yesterday no wonder your nerves are jangling.

Unfortunately though I think this might have happened even if you'd been standing right next to him at the time :( Really hope he's on the mend soon.

I don't think you're being unreasonable to be annoyed at the leisure centre. Sure, bowling shoes are designed to protect the floor, but they would also have offered some protection to your son's toe. If the centre is going to profit from children's parties they need to provide the right equipment.

"With supervision at all times you can have peace of mind...." implies that it is the leisure centre that is supervising - unless there is further context that you haven't included. It would make no sense to say that if you supervise your children at all times you will have peace of mind - it is a bit of a truism.

Suing? You have got to be kidding?
Was he not wearing shoes at all? Was he only wearing socks?

We went bowling recently, I got dcs to hold a ball each while I took a photo (sat down) in the 3 seconds it took me to put the camera down one of them had stood up and dropped the ball on their foot. Luckily no damage was done but it really is an accident that could happen in a second even with adult supervision. I don't think going on to sue is reasonable.

I don't understand the not wearing shoes. That sounds ridiculous to me. It might have provided some protection. Hope your DS is getting better.