No one expects a day at the playground to end with a trip to the emergency room, but that’s exactly what happened to Peggy Robbins and her 14-month-old grandson, Bran, who was visiting from California.
Possibilities playground at Butterfield Crossing VIA https://crgov.com/3397/Possibilities-Playground
They decided to visit the “possibilities playground” at Butterfield Crossing, an all-inclusive park for children of all abilities. While tending to another one of her grandchildren, Bran walked onto the playground barefoot. In less than two minutes, he’d started screaming.
“One of my grandsons brought him to me and he was just screaming and crying, and I couldn’t understand what was going on. So I sat down to console him and he kept grabbing his foot and I looked at the bottom of it and the skin on both feet was just completely burnt off,” Robbins said.
Terrified, Peggy rushed Bran to the emergency room. He was treated at the Children’s Hospital burn unit. Doctors diagnosed him with second-degree burns.
“They gave him some fentanyl and Advil and stuff like that for the pain, and he fell asleep and they wrapped his feet,” Robbins said.
Doctors then placed casts on his feet, which remained on for more than a week. He is reportedly doing better now.
“We went to the hospital today, they said that it looked good that it still has a couple months of healing and he will probably not have any scarring,” Robbins said.
Police investigated the case for child abuse. Police officers went to the park and measured the surface temperatures. The rubber matting, where Bran had been walking, was nearly 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The concrete sidewalk was 120 degrees, and the parking lot asphalt was 130 degrees. Temperatures outside were only 82 degrees.
Ultimately, officers ruled the incident an accident and closed the case, but Peggy is concerned that other children may experience similar injuries. And she feels the incident never should have occurred.
“I will take responsibility for him not having shoes on, but even if he had shoes on, if he would have fallen, he would have burnt his hands or he could have burnt his face,” Robbins said.
According to the town of Castle Rock, the material is a rubber surfacing known as PIP. They had this to say about the material:
“Upon installation, the playground manufacturer and installer attached numerous signs to the play equipment indicating that surfaces may be hot. As temperatures rise, we remind all parents and guardians to be aware of their surroundings and the outdoor environment. Pay particular attention to young children in all play areas.”
