SLIDE & SMASH

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Boy is flung out of slide and hits pole. Second swimming pool incident in 2 days
WITH the school holidays on, Putera Mohd Azahar was looking forward to a trip to the swimming pool.

WITH the school holidays on, Putera Mohd Azahar was looking forward to a trip to the swimming pool.

But what was supposed to be a fun day at the pool turned into a painful and bloody experience for the 11-year-old.

His parents took him and his two younger sisters to the Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex at around 5.30pm on Sunday. Putera also has two older siblings.

The pool was crowded, but the children had a go at the 2m-high water slide in the children's pool several times.

Their father, Mr Mohd Hisham Sapandi, 38, waited for them at the bottom of the slide to catch them as they came down.

On Putera's fourth time down the slide, Mr Hisham watched in horror as the boy flew out of the slide.

His face slammed into a metal pole near the slide before he fell into the water.

He began bleeding profusely from the mouth and chin.

Mr Mohd Hisham, who was about 1.5m away, rushed to his son and got him out of the water.

He said: 'There was so much blood on his face and body. I quickly cupped his jaw to prevent him from moving it. I was afraid he had broken his jaw.'

This was the second swimming pool incident in two days. On Saturday, 6-year-old Anna Lim drowned in a Sentosa hotel pool.

Mr Mohd Hisham, an odd-job labourer, said he wasn't sure what to do next.

There was an attendant whom he took to be a lifeguard nearby, but she did nothing to help, he claimed.


TISSUE PAPER
A woman sitting nearby rushed to pass him some tissue paper.

'After a while, I heard another woman shout to the attendant to do something,' said Mr Mohd Hisham.

He claimed the attendant walked towards his son, took a look at him and walked away.

'She looked inexperienced and didn't do anything to help,' he added.

Minutes later, a senior lifeguard came and told them to go with him into an office.

There, he tried to stem the bleeding and clean the wounds.

Mr Hisham said he asked for an ambulance, but the lifeguard said there was no need for one as the injury was minor.

'He said the injury was not serious, and it would heal by itself. He said if I wanted to, I could take my son to a clinic,' claimed Mr Hisham.

But Mr Hisham wasn't convinced.

He said: 'I knew Putera was quite badly injured, so I wanted to take him to the hospital.'

The family walked about 500m to the main road, with Mr Hisham supporting Putera, and caught a cab to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

Although it was quite an ordeal for Putera, he didn't cry.

Said Mr Mohd Hisham: 'Luckily I happened to have just enough money in my pocket to take the taxi.'

At the hospital, Putera was sedated and given six stitches inside his mouth and another four on the outside.

He was found to have multiple lacerations on his face and lower lip. One of his teeth is also slightly chipped.

However, an X-ray showed he didn't break any bones and he was allowed to go home later that night.

Putera, who can't eat or talk properly now, said he remembers flying off the slide.

He told his parents he was scared of going on the slide again.

Mr Mohd Hisham and his family want answers. Why didn't the lifeguards do more to help? Why didn't they offer to call a taxi?

Mr Mohd Hisham, who earns less than $1,000 a month, said: 'I don't earn very much. I took them swimming because it was something I could afford.'

Entry to public swimming pools costs 50 cents to $2 per person.

'Now, I've to think about the medical bills too,' said Mr Mohd Hisham.

Labels: Misadventure