Aug 15, 2006 1:52 pm US/Eastern
Toddler Badly Burned Playing In Park
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
Many children spend their summer staying cool on the playground. But a recent afternoon of fun suddenly turned dangerous, when one child was seriously burned on the bottom of his feet. Other children could still be at risk.
Itamar Pres' feet are wrapped in bandages. The material covers gruesome burns that he sustained more than two weeks ago.
"It hurt badly," Itamar said.
Despite the looks of it, the 3-year-old boy wasn't burned in a fire. He got those burns at the playground at Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn, where Itamar and his family came to cool off during the heat wave.
According to Itamar's mother, Noga Harizman, "The kids started out in the sprinklers, so my son took off his sandals."
Still in his bare feet, Itamar started playing on the jungle gym, which is constructed from coated wood and plastic. But then he ran onto the connecting footbridge, which is 100 percent metal.
"Suddenly, we heard him yelling and screaming. I saw him in the middle of the bridge trapped because he started walking, and it was burning hot," said Noga Harizman. "It was like walking on a frying pan."
Itamar suffered second-degree burns, and he spent the next 11 days in the hospital.
The family was here on a very hot day, but that doesn't seem to make much of a difference. When WCBS-TV took a temperature reading of the bridge on an 84-degree day, the temperature of the metal read 111 degrees on the thermometer.
The family complained to the Parks Department, which initially put up some yellow warning tape. But that tape was soon removed, and kids could be seen running around barefoot in the area. Their parents were unaware of any danger.
"That's a terrible thing to have in a park. Terrible," said parent Heather Ahram.
In response, the Parks Department put up signs informing patrons to always wear proper footwear in the park.
In a statement, a parks spokeswoman told WCBS-TV: "Our sympathies are with the child and his family. We implore park patrons to use common sense and to supervise their children at all times."
Itamar's parents just hope that's enough to prevent others from feeling the pain that their son continues to suffer.
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