Mother sues council after daughter fractures skull in playground fall

A mother from Stockport is suing her local council for neglecting to make a playground safer after her daughter Ella fell off a slide in Hazel Grove’s Clarendon Road Park and fractured her skull.

Ella, who was aged five at the time of the accident, fell two metres from the top of the decades-old slide, which had safety barriers that were not high enough to meet modern standards. She still frequently suffers from headaches and must undergo regular brain scans.

Mum Rebecca Farndell says the incident has altered Ella’s personality, making her easily upset and occasionally aggressive.

Since Ella’s fall, Ms Farndell has passionately campaigned for safer parks so that no other child suffers a similar injury. As a result, dangerous slides and other potentially hazardous pieces of equipment have been removed from a total of 16 Stockport play areas.

She is claiming damages from Stockport council, arguing that their failure to install higher handrails and an impact-absorbing floor directly caused Ella’s injuries and exposed her to even greater risks.

An independent report by a playground safety specialist concluded that Ella was not at fault as the slide was at least 30 years old and did not meet contemporary safety requirements.

Ms Farndell commented: “[The] report shows council officials were saving pennies and risking our children’s health. It’s not my fault the parks have gone. They should have been maintained and kept safe at all times.”

Seek specialist advice if you have suffered a similar fall

If you have been unfortunate enough to suffer a slip, trip or fall because of unsafe equipment or conditions, and have endured physical or psychological injuries as a result, you should seek advice from a personal injury solicitor as soon as possible.

Sheldon Davidson Solicitors are Manchester-based Personal Injury Lawyers with an enviable reputation for successfully settling a broad range of Personal Injury Claims, including everything from Child Injury Claims to Medical Negligence Claims, such as Dental Negligence Claims.