Horrific: Noah Stevens recovers at home.
By Cherie Donnellan
A TORQUAY father wants an apology from Surf Coast Shire after his eight-year-old son seriously injured his leg in an exposed hole beside a playground.
Matt Stevens said Noah was playing in a Quay Estate park near the corner of Fischer St and Beachcomber Lane when he slipped into the PVC “breathing hole” on June 19.
Noah split open his shin so badly doctors were having trouble keeping the wound closed, Mr Stevens told the Independent.
He took Noah for treatment before informing the shire of the “dangerous hazard”.
The shire’s response was “impersonal”, Mr Stevens said.
“As any parent would do, I contacted the shire immediately to have the hole closed.
“I wasn’t planning to claim any money from the incident but all I received was an impersonal letter from their Melbourne claims unit.”
Mr Stevens said the shire made him “feel like a fraudulent gangster trying to steal money”.
The shire filled the hole the next day but Mr Stevens remained “angry” about the lack of any apology.
He said the shire’s claims consultancy told him he could not contact the shire about the incident and that “no further correspondence was required” unless Noah was five per cent permanently impaired.
“If that’s the procedure, how does this community get better and safer for our kids?”
Mr Stevens said he would have been satisfied if council had simply “admitted liability and offered a McDonald’s voucher”.
Slater and Gordon personal injury lawyer Katalin Blond said the shire’s public liability cover would have required referral of the incident directly to the insurer.
“Most insurance policies require that the policyholder doesn’t compromise their rights (by admitting liability).”
