A TODDLER severed 50 per cent of his big toe in a nursery school accident – but staff “just covered his injury with baby wipes”, his mum claims.
No ambulance was immediately called for the two year-old after his toe was accidentally jammed in a storeroom door, a childcare centre spokesperson in Australia has confirmed.
The toddler has since had his toe reattached, but may suffer ongoing nerve damage, says his concerned mum, Taylor Maddison.
The fuming mother-of-two ranted on Facebook about the inadequate first aid treatment allegedly doled out to son Harry at a Gold Coast-based nursery.
She wrote: “I received a phone call while I was at work from the centre" from an educator “explaining she has closed his big toe in the door”.
Taylor was told that Harry’s “toenail seems to be lifted and there is a small cut and lots of blood and my son will need to be seen by a doctor”.
But, they didn’t tell her how serious his injury was, she alleged.
LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS
Taylor was at work, so her sister went and collected the toddler from the nursery 20 minutes later.
However she phoned Taylor to say that she was concerned as Harry was alternatively losing and then regaining consciousness, reports the Courier-Mail.
The lad was also losing a lot of blood from the injured toe.
In Taylor’s post – shared thousands of times – she continued: “I rushed from work to my child where we then discovered after pulling the baby wipes the centre placed over his toe that his big toe was 50 per cent detached.
“We immediately dialled triple-0 for assistance for an ambulance from home.”
Taylor was operated on at Brisbane-based Queensland Children’s Hospital.
TOE RECONSTRUCTED
The mum added: “We were rushed straight to… hospital for my son who obtained surgery to his left great toe for nail bed reconstruction, skin repair, cleaning and scrubbing of the toe before stitching it back together [sic].”
Her Facebook post continued: “We are still awaiting to find out if any further damage was found.
“My son will have a long road of recovery and won’t be attending child care for a few months, but is enrolled to start at a new centre when he is given the all-clear by doctors.”
Taylor described Harry as “still in shock. He cannot play with his brother or his family, can hardly walk around, let alone run”.
She said her boy might have sustained nerve damage – but they won’t know for sure until next week.
We were rushed to hospital for my son who [had] surgery for nail bed reconstruction, skin repair, cleaning and scrubbing of the toe before stitching it back together.
“My concern is that the childcare centre never provided my son with proper first aid assistance and never contacted an ambulance from the centre directly,” Taylor added.
A spokesperson for G8 Education, which owns the nursery, said the injury occurred when a “toddler’s toe was accidentally jammed in a storeroom door.
“The educator on duty immediately took action to apply first aid.
“Without delay, other team members lent their support to soothe and calm the child.
“The child’s parent was contacted immediately and the child was collected within 20 minutes of the accident occurring.
“The incident was reported to the relevant regulatory authority who are investigating.
"We have also been in contact with the family since to offer our full support.
"Our team reacted swiftly when the accident occurred with our primary objective being to care for the child.
"The safety of our children is always our most important priority."
The spokesperson told ABC News: "Our sympathy and thoughts are with the family and their little boy following this unfortunate accident."
Officials at Queensland's Department of Education are probing the incident, and said that "regulatory staff will conduct a visit to check the physical environment and practices of staff".
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