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Playground incident injures 12-year-olds

By: Katherine Dow

Posted: 06/25/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 06/25/2012 10:33 AM | Updates

A broken piece from a play structure at the East St. Paul Soccer and Baseball Complex following an incident that hurt two kids. (JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

EAST ST. PAUL — Two 12-year-old Southdale boys have been sent to hospital after a play structure collapsed Sunday at the East St. Paul Soccer and Baseball Complex.

Members of the Southdale Expos baseball team were playing on a metal play structure at about 2:45 p.m. after their baseball game.

Witnesses said a spinning merry-go-round- like frame came loose from the rest of the structure while in rotation, trapping children beneath it.

They estimated about four or five kids were on the structure at the time it collapsed.

Two children were taken to hospital with head, arm and chest injuries, said Kevin Crellin, coach of the Expos. Crellin said the two children were conscious and responsive when ambulance services arrived.

"It’s an understatement to say people were upset. Very, very emotional atmosphere. Their parents are with them now in the ambulance. Hopefully the injuries aren’t too severe," said Crellin as he sat with the rest of his team following the incident.

Parents helped move the metal structure off the two boys who were unable to free themselves. Ambulances arrived at the scene about 15 minutes after the incident.

Parents declined to give the names of the injured boys.

Tyler Van Dale was on the structure at the time of collapse.

I was just spinning on it with my friends and it just sort of snapped off. My leg got trapped underneath it and I crawled out from underneath. I’m not hurt that bad," said Tyler, 12, who was covered in dust and dirt after the incident.

"There’s gonna be a bruise."

"But two of my friends were hurt bad. They weren’t talking. They looked like they were in pain."

Tyler’s father, Chad Van Dale, heard the commotion and came running with other parents to help.

"That’s a little unnerving, seeing a bunch of kids trapped there. We all just came running. The whole thing was scary. I just hope they’re OK," Van Dale said.

Keith Thomas, risk manager for the Manitoba School Boards Association, said there are no more than a dozen roundabouts on school playgrounds around the province.

"The newer playgrounds don’t have them and some of them are made of wood," Thomas said.

While he was not familiar with East St. Paul’s system for its municipal playground, Thomas said roundabouts on school playgrounds have control mechanisms to keep the speed down, and a buildup pea gravel underneath so there is no room for kids to get caught underneath the device.

"It should hold five boys," Thomas said.

School custodians check all playground equipment each Monday morning to ensure nothing has been broken or damaged over the weekend, he said.

"I doubt there’s more than a dozen (schoolyard roundabouts) around the province. They’re not that popular anymore — it wasn’t something that was a real challenge to the kids," said Thomas.

East St. Paul Mayor Lawrence Morris declined to comment until he can learn more about the incident.

RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish said the boys suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation continues, Karpish said.

katherine.dow@freepress.mb.com

— with files from Nick Martin

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Updated on Monday, June 25, 2012 at 10:33 AM CDT: Fixes typo.

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