What parents should know about playground safety after 5-year-old accidentally hung himself

A five-year-old boy from Dersley Park on the East Rand of Johannesburg is still fighting for his life in the Garden City Hospital after the string of his hoodie hooked on the slide at his nursery school in Brakpan last week Thursday.

According to the Springs Advertiser, the strings of Marno Muller’s hoodie hooked while he was sliding, strangling him on the way down.  

Muller’s aunt, Nadia Minnie told AfriNuus the teacher at his school admitted there were no working CCTV cameras or any adult supervision on that part of the school grounds when the incident occurred.

According to Minnie, Muller’s teacher also told her she saw the 5-year-old’s feet ‘kick’, but she thought he was just playing.

However, about 10 minutes later, she suspected something was wrong and rushed to help the little boy.

The teacher took him to Life Dalview Hospital, notifying his parents on the way.

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Muller did not show a heartbeat or pulse when he arrived at the hospital.

He was transferred to Garden City Hospital about six hours later and placed under the care of Dr Miles Bartlett and his team.

Muller sustained swelling in his brain and doctors say there is a definite possibility of brain damage. They can’t, however, say to what extent yet.

According to an update by a Facebook Support Group on Tuesday morning, Muller is showing some signs of improvement.

His cooling blanket was removed on Monday evening and his blood pressure and kidneys also showed some improvement overnight.

Muller’s dad, Rudi Muller shared an update as well as photos and videos in the support group on Tuesday afternoon, saying his son is looking better.

Most common injuries in kids

According to The ChildSafe Child Injury Report, based on an analysis of 2019 and 2020, fall injuries for children 12 and under accounted for 42% of all injuries treated at the trauma unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

Burns constituted 15%, as did miscellaneous acts. Traffic crash injuries accounted for 12% while children struck by or caught in between objects made up 11%.

Assault injuries stood at 3% and dog bites accounted for 2%.

In 2020, seven of injuries in kids between the ages of 5 to 12 years occurred at school.

Moreover, 553 boys sustained head injuries, compared to 301 girls in 2020, and 53% of these head injuries were the result of falls.

Important playground safety tips

As much as you try, you can’t always keep your eyes glued to your child 24/7, but there are some steps you, and your child’s school can take to ensure your little one is as safe as possible when playing.

• Always check the equipment before you let kids play on it. A quick sweep of the area for broken glass, hazardous materials or broken equipment can prevent unnecessary injuries.
• Make sure your kids are dressed appropriately for the weather when playing. Don’t let them wear clothing like dresses or hooded sweatshirts that can get caught in playground equipment.
• Playground supervisors, teachers or any other person entrusted with looking after your child should receive proper training in playground safety.
• Ensure that the playground at home and at your child’s school is well-maintained.
• Avoid ropes on the playground. As fun as rope swings and rope ladders might look, they can be very dangerous for kids as they can strangle on them.
• Always make sure that your child uses age-appropriate playground equipment. If they want to try a ‘big kid’ swing, make sure you are within reach to intervene should anything go wrong.
• Check playground equipment temperature, especially in summer. Slides can often become too hot for tiny hands and feet.

Visit adventureturf.com for more playground safety tips.