Westport Park safety concerns have been raised after a toddler was severely burnt while playing at the water park on Wednesday, January 3.
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Emma Ferrato had taken her one-year-old daughter to the park on Wednesday about 11.30am as the temperature reached 27 degrees.
While running and playing, the toddler tripped on the edge of a metal plate in the grass and fell onto it, burning her hands and legs.
She was taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital where she needed to be sedated for the burns to be treated.
Ms Ferrato said the ordeal was "horrendous" and she was "in shock" that a trip to the local children's water park resulted in a hospital visit.
"She tripped on it first, then landed on the blistering metal. If it was levelled out around the edges, she probably would have run straight over the top and not tripped and fallen onto it," she said.
Ms Ferrato said her daughter is "doing her best" but the burns are "very painful" for her.
"Her hands require to be stretched out multiple times a day so the creases don't fuse and require surgery," she said.
"The leg is more pale than the hand burns, indicating a deeper burn and more likely to scar. The bottom of her foot makes it painful for her to walk. It's horrific."
The Children's Hospital at Westmead is involved in the toddler's care and at this stage she won't need surgery unless the burns aren't healing properly in two weeks.
Safety concerns raised
The water play area at Livvi's Place, Westport Park is a Port Macquarie-Hastings Council project which opened to the public in April 2023.
A Port Macquarie-Hastings Council spokesperson said they were made aware of the incident through social media.
"We empathise with her and the family for the injuries she has sustained, and we hope for a speedy recovery," the spokesperson said.
Council has since erected a temporary safety fence around the metal plate.
"Council staff and the park's maintenance contractors are currently assessing the area and are taking appropriate actions to prioritise a safe playing environment for all," the spokesperson said.
Ms Ferrato said the community "deserves better" and that "a certain standard exists" when designing infrastructure for children's play areas.
"Our children are a public responsibility to keep safe and have expectations on what safety precautions are in place when such places are made available to the public," she said.
"There should be a standard across all councils to not have any bare metal exposed in direct sunlight on the ground where children play."
