A Lentegeur mother says what was supposed to be a fun day at the Mitchells Plain Festival, turned bloody after her son was injured on one of the amusement rides.
Bronwyn Booysen says her four-year-old son’s lip was split open on Saturday after someone knocked into him on the bumper cars.
The two-day festival, which attracts thousands of people, was held at the Westridge Gardens over the weekend.
Bronwyn says: “He was driving on his own then someone bumped into him and his face knocked against the steering wheel.
“It wasn’t long before his whole T-shirt was full of blood as the blood was coming from his mouth.”
The mother says she now wants to make mense aware after the operator at the bumper cars allegedly ignored her when she inquired about height requirements and safety measures for the cars.
She explains: “I asked this guy if my son’s height was applicable to go on the ride and he didn’t respond to me.
“I thought he could go on but there were no safety protocols like checking the height of the child, they didn’t do anything like that.
“I thought they were going to put a safety belt on but they just ignored the fact.”
The kleintjie was rushed to the nearby day hospital and the mom says after almost four hours of waiting, doctors stitched his lip back into place.
Bronwyn says that when she informed the organisers of the DStv kykNET Mitchells Plain Festival about the incident, she was referred to Pieter Pretorius, the owner of Funland Amusement, who is responsible for the rides.
Bronwyn adds: “That man got so offended and raised his voice at me and told me why is it his responsibility to see if there are seatbelts on.”
According to Pretorius, the incident was only reported to him on Monday.
Pretorius explains: “I spoke to the operator, and he said he didn’t know anything but he saw the kid bumped his mouth. [As to] the seatbelt story, you sit in the car, you don’t tie yourself, as it is bumper cars.”
Rozario Brown, Director of Events of the festival, said he was not aware of the incident.
He says: “I just got off the phone with my head of security and the head of the VOC, which oversees safety at the event, an both confirmed that they received no complaints of any injuries of the sort.
“Usually, these types of injuries are reported to the VOC or to security immediately once it occurs.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za