A PARAMEDIC has warned other parents over a common playground accident, with a heartbreaking video showing a little girl breaking her leg as she comes down a slide.
The tot was perched on her dad’s lap, with her legs falling on either side of his.
Instagram / @tinyheartseducationA traumatic video shows a little girl getting her leg caught on a slide as she comes down it with her dad[/caption]
Instagram / @tinyheartseducationThe tot’s leg broke after getting caught between the slide and her dad’s thigh[/caption]
Instagram / @tinyheartseducationParamedic Nikki Jurcutz showed a safer way to come down the slide by tucking in her child’s arms and legs[/caption]
Shared by Tiny Hearts Education, the video shows the girl’s foot get wedged between her dad’s thigh and the edge of the slide as they come down in.
The dad quickly realises what has happened and lifts his daughter up to free her foot, but the damage has already been done.
The little girl breaks out in tears at the bottom of the slide as her dad cradles her leg.
One mum commenting on the video said: “My biggest fear. I won’t let anyone slide with my toddler.”
“New fear unlocked,” another viewer said.
“Worst nightmare!!!! That was so hard to see,” a third wrote.
“This is exactly how my one year old broke his leg going down a slide with my mum,” a mum added.
Nikki Jurcutz, the ex-paramedic behind the child and baby first aid education page Tiny Hearts, pleaded with parents to “please be careful when going down the slide with kids”.
“Stray legs, fingers and hands can get crushed between the adult and the slide if not careful,” she stressed.
The health expert stitched the distressing video with one of herself and her son, demonstrating how to come down a slide safely with your child.
“I’ve demonstrated the safe slide hold, a safer way to accompany your child down the slide that keeps their legs and hands out of harm’s way,” Nikki explained.
The clip shows the paramedic sat at the top of a slide with her little boy on her lap.
Before going down it, the mum tucked her son’s legs onto her lap, as well as his arms, so no limbs were in harm’s way.
She advised parents to keep their hands over both their children’s arms and legs when sliding down.
“Share this with another parent to help spread awareness of slide safety,” Nikki wrote.
Viewers thanked the paramedic for raising awareness about the common playground accident.
One mum wrote: “Thank you for showing the safer hold! I’ve been going down the slide with my son since he was quite young but feel 100 per cent confident in my hold on his arms and legs that he would be fine!”
Nikki previously warned parents to look out for falls and head bumps when their children climb onto tall playing equipment in parks and play centres.
She explained: “If your child has fallen from a height that is double their height, they need immediate medical attention.”
What do I do if my child breaks a leg?
IF you think your little one has broken a leg, you should go to your nearest A&E immediately.
But call 999 for an ambulance if the injury seems severe or you’re not able to get to A&E quickly.
As you wait for help to arrive you should:
Avoid moving the injured leg as much as possible – keep it straight and put a cushion or clothing underneath to support it
Not try to realign any bones that are out of place
Cover any open wounds with a sterile dressing, a clean cloth or a clean item of clothing – maintain direct pressure on the wound if it is bleeding, but not over the broken bone
The three main signs of a broken bone are pain, welling and deformity.
Your tot might also feel cold and sweaty, faint, dizzy or sick as a result of the shock of breaking a bone.
Source: NHS