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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No help for injured kid. AIBU to think this deserves more than a 'complaint'

60 replies

angeldelightedme · 04/01/2017 17:39

My 10 yr old DD loves to go to gymnastics.She goes for 2.5 hours once a week .Last night I went to pick her up and I could see right away something was wrong becuase she was slumped looked dazed and grey .One of the coaches said she had landed badly and 'shocked herself' 'She could not put any weight on het foot and I had to help her out of the room and could see see she was shakey as soon as she got outside she vomited in the car park..I took her straight to A&E and she had fractured her ankle and 2 bones in her foot.This had happened 45 minutes into a 2.5 hour class and she had just been ignored.No first aid , no ice , no attempt to ring parents.Now I know it is a dangerous sport and there are intrinsic risks.That's fine.What isn't fine is that because3 she wasn't screaming and crying she was left in pain for nearly 2 hours.

OP posts:
LottieL · 04/01/2017 17:41

Definitely make a complaint to whoever runs / manages the group! They should have taken better care of her after the injury for sure!
I suppose wait and see what they say beyond that.

ladygracie · 04/01/2017 17:42

Oh that's appalling. Have you spoken to any of the coaches since?

NoFuckingRoomOnMyBroom · 04/01/2017 17:44

Absolutely make a complaint, they need to answer why they made no attempt to assess how badly she'd landed & why no 1st aid was offered. What sort of idiot would have simply left her sat for that long? Shock

Petalbird · 04/01/2017 17:45

That sounds dangerous you need to complain asap and if possible let other parents from the group know

Hawkmoth · 04/01/2017 17:45

That's shit. Your poor DD. I think they need to refresh their first aid training urgently, and of course you should have been called straight away. Awful experience for her. Is she alright today?

My DD also goes quiet with pain but in a sport like gymnastics you'd think they would rely on children's reactions to assess accidents.

Hawkmoth · 04/01/2017 17:45

Wouldn't!

Ditsyprint40 · 04/01/2017 17:46

I would investigate first, then decide whether to make a complaint. What exactly happened, what was seen by staff etc. Was she just slumped near where she fell, had she walked/hobbled away etc.

I can't see how she could have this injury and it go unnoticed to be honest!!

Bogburglar75 · 04/01/2017 17:49

My DD is 7 and does several hours gymnastics. Agree with you that one accepts that it is a sport with potential for injury. It's also true that the best parent or teacher can fail to spot a fracture (I did it with DDs leg age 3 Blush)

In your position I wouldn't be cross about failing to spot the fracture, or taking a bit of a wait and see approach initially. I'd be very cross that they hadn't watched her closely and rung you when she plainly wasn't bouncing back or able to take any weight on it. I wouldn't be happy about no ice or first aid either.

Does the club have a welfare officer? Perhaps a complaint to them initially. If you're not happy with the response I wonder if British Gymnastics would be the people to talk to. Is it a BG affiliated club?

harderandharder2breathe · 04/01/2017 17:51

Yanbu to complain, "sit down for 5 minutes" is often all that's needed BUT the length of time she was sat out, and that she looked unwell should have warranted further attention. Presumably her foot was swollen so should have been iced and elevated.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "more than a complaint"? It was bad judgement from the coaches but it wasn't wilful or intentional to cause her harm.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 04/01/2017 17:55

YANBU. That is negligent of the coaches. I would be putting in a formal complaint to the gym, and then taking it up with the governing body if you dont get a satisfactory response.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 04/01/2017 17:57

It was bad judgement from the coaches but it wasn't wilful or intentional to cause her harm

It was appalling judgement from adults in loco parentis. As coaches they should have used their common sense and first aid training and contacted the parent/ followed procedures immediately it became apparent that it was more than a minor injury.

monkeywithacowface · 04/01/2017 18:00

Accidents happen but the way they handle it was shocking. What if it had been a head injury?

LumelaMme · 04/01/2017 18:00

That's not acceptable. I'd be complaining VERY loudly.

PurpleMinionMummy · 04/01/2017 18:06

Very bad judgment, that needs pulling up on, severely!

Yanbu!

Ohdearducks · 04/01/2017 18:12

You'd think just from the fact she wasn't able to rejoin the group for the rest of the session would ring alarm bells and at least warrant a call home? Have you had any feedback from the staff yet?

LIZS · 04/01/2017 18:15

There should be protocol for injuries. At very least they should have offered ice and called you. Certainly report the outcome to whoever heads the club and ask what their process is and whether it needs reviewing in the light of this.

1horatio · 04/01/2017 18:18

I have cousins that were treated like this. But this was in the 90ies. And people that were regarded as having the potential to represent their country... (but that doesnt makes it alright!!)

This is awful. Make a complaint!

However, the complaint shouldn't be about the injury (happens in gymnastics) or about them making her sit out for a few minutes. But they should have checked up on her!

RandomMess · 04/01/2017 18:24

I think the valid complaint is that they didn't ice pack it or check up on when it was clear she didn't look okay, if they had they would have known to phone you! Being pale/grey etc is a clear sign that it could be a break!

ChasedByBees · 04/01/2017 18:24

Wow that's terrible. Yes complain.

Treaclex · 04/01/2017 18:28

Definitely complain they need to look at how to prevent this happening in the future a child should not have been left that long and they should've called you no way should they have left her on the sidelines for that length of time. Hope she recovers swiftly Flowers

EweAreHere · 04/01/2017 18:29

Make the complaint.

It sounds like she had gone into shock, and someone should be on site with enough first aid training to recognize this!

Jinglebells99 · 04/01/2017 18:32

My daughter broke her arm warming up during a trampoline lesson at the local leisure centre. They called an ambulance. They made follow up calls to me at home. I know it was discussed at the area meeting. I'm horrified they didn't call you and didn't seek medical assistance.

Witchend · 04/01/2017 18:33

Depends on the child though.
Dd2 not infrequently screams the place down if she gets an injury. She'll would have sat on the side with ice on her foot, the coaches carry her out to the car etc. Next day she'd be fine.
I wouldn't expect them to realise if she really had hurt herself because she's dramatically looked like it several times-she even goes grey and looks like she's going to pass out.

Dd1 goes to the other extreme. If she's really hurt, it's a bit like an ill animal, she retreats into a corner and doesn't want fuss making. She would deny that it really was too bad and say she just needed to rest and please don't phone me.
I wouldn't expect them to realise she was injured either because she would be denying it.

Ds comes in the middle. He only makes a fuss if it really does hurt. He'll try to continue, but if it is too bad he would sit out.
I would hope that they would pick up that he was bad.

YelloDraw · 04/01/2017 18:35

Agree - the complaint is not that she is hurt, but that she was just left and not assessed and given first aid is terrible.

I play a much less dangerous sport as an adult and the coaches follow proper protocol with us if we fall over and we are adults!

jansus23 · 04/01/2017 18:49

As far as I know in a work situation any injury that involves a broken bone should be reported to h&s executive? Are clubs exempt? They should surely have some kind of h&s guidance, book , manual to follow? So that this sort of reaction to such an injury could be avoided?

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