The family of a five-year-old boy who died in a playground accident are demanding to know who was meant to be supervising the school break.Well, assuming that the initial report – that the boy fell off a climbing frame – is accurate, unless it was The Flash, no-one could possibly have had the reflexes to do anything about it.
Unless you think children shouldn’t be allowed to climb on the climbing frame, it’s hard to see what more someone could have done…
Samuel Orola died at Tolworth Infant School in Surbiton after apparently falling from a climbing frame and banging his head.And, no doubt, hire a lawyer…
As his parents grieved at their nearby home today, Samuel's uncle Femi Akinlabi said: "We still don't know how it happened. We've heard so many conflicting stories.
According to the police he fell off the climbing frame, but the school is saying something different.
"We can't understand how a child could die just like that, just from a fall. Wasn't anyone looking after him?
"You send a child to school and you expect them to be looked after, you expect them to be safe, you expect the school to take responsibility.
"We have to bury him first. Then we'll need to ask questions."
I am sorry for their loss, but kids do things like fall.
ReplyDeleteI fell off a roundabout and banged my head when I was little (which explains a lot, I know) but as far as I know I was being stupid and no one was supervising my 'adventure' where we got the thing going as fast as we could and hung off it. Or came off it, in my case.
Given that kids are much of a muchness -- at least until they discover computer games and stay indoors a lot -- I am always faintly surprised that there aren't more fatal accidents.
And if the kid's name had been Johnny Bloggins the story would never even have made it as far as the local freebie rag ..
ReplyDeleteSuch a dangerous country this England.No doubt the family will be flying back to Nigeria on the next available flight.
ReplyDeleteJaded
To be honest I would want to know myself. That is what an inquest is for. The fact that there are two different versions of what happened would make me suspicious as well.
ReplyDeleteNow, if the inquest raises something then fine. It is what I would do. Find out the facts first.
Not everybody is fast on the lawyer draw so we should not assume and it isn't wrong to want to find out the facts of what went on.
I'm with the parents on this one in wanting to know what the hell happened and get straight honest answers. This isn't a scraped knee they're talking about their child died.
ReplyDeleteWhen no one's stories add up you have to question why and if fear of being sued is the overriding reason for lying about it then shame on the authority.
Terrible. A most blatant case of death with no citizens arrested, swabbed and thrown into a cell.
ReplyDeleteAt least this sort of thing cannot happen in Bramhall. GMC police wouldn't give a second thought to a result.
"We have to bury him first. Then we'll need to ask questions."
ReplyDeleteErmmm "Is he still breathing?" might be something you'd want to ask... in general I mean.
But yes, as horrible as it is that a child loses his/her life these things do happen. I think personally I would be more at peace believing I'd lost a child through a simple accident rather than forever wrestling with the notion that someone whom by inaction or omission had 'killed' my child.
Humans strive to ascribe agency to accidents and tragedy. It is hypothesised that it's why we invented gods and monsters - "why'd that big fucking rock fall on Dave? God hated him..."
ReplyDeleteOur problem in the late 20th/early 21st century is that we have monetised that psychology and use it to score money from loaded targets.
I can't condemn it because I too am a human monkey but I sure as hell won't promote or excuse it. Just call it what it is - people being people, looking for *someone* to hold to account for life's shitty strokes.
"...I am always faintly surprised that there aren't more fatal accidents."
ReplyDeleteMedical attention having advanced, there are probably just as many accidents, but fewer fatal ones.
"To be honest I would want to know myself."
Oh, agreed. If there really ARE two stories, that's worrying.
"...people being people, looking for *someone* to hold to account for life's shitty strokes."
ReplyDeleteAll too sadly prevalent today, and the reason for the excessive 'elf n' safety culture.
Oh I don't think they'll have to go far to find a lawyer. The ambulance chasers will be camped on the family's doorstep.
ReplyDelete