Child seriously injured as basketball hoop falls at Iecava skatepark; municipality investigates
On 6 November a basketball hoop placed at the skatepark of a multifunctional court in Iecava, Bauska municipality, fell on a child, who was taken to the Children's Clinical University Hospital. The municipality has launched an investigation and will inspect all activity playgrounds in the municipality.
A child was seriously injured on Friday, 6 November, at the multifunctional court next to the skatepark in Iecava, in Latvia's Bauska municipality, when a basketball hoop placed there fell on him. Both the Bauska municipality, the local authority responsible for public infrastructure, and the child's mother reported the incident on Facebook.
The mother's account
The woman wrote that her child was playing ball with other children when the hoop at the skatepark came down on him. Emergency services were called, and the child was taken to the Children's Clinical University Hospital in Riga. According to the mother, he has undergone surgery and has a shattered skull, a brain injury with damage to the membrane around it, and a shattered cheekbone. She said it could all have ended fatally.
She urged parents to tell their children to stay away from the basketball hoops at the Iecava skatepark. She also wants to find out who is responsible for anchoring the hoops to the ground and asked anyone who knows where to turn to let her know.
What the municipality is doing
The municipality expressed deep sympathy and support for the injured child and his family, and its leadership has contacted the child's mother. It says an investigation has been launched, as the initial information indicates the incident was linked to the hoop structure tipping over.
The municipality is establishing the circumstances by reviewing video camera footage and will assess the technical condition, installation and maintenance of the structure. The mobile basketball hoops at the court are currently laid down and cordoned off with tape.
Responsible municipal staff have been instructed to inspect all activity playgrounds in the municipality within the next two weeks. The municipality stresses that the safety of children and young people in public infrastructure is a priority and promises to inform the public about the inspection results and further decisions. Out of respect for the family's privacy, it will not publish details of the child's health or treatment.
