Accident at mall playground nearly kills 7-year-old boy

A wagon on a children’s ride at a mall in Jeddah’s Tahliya Street ran over a 7-year-old boy. The child could have died from suffocation if not for the timely response of his father and other people.
Visitors and workers lifted the wagon off the boy. He received artificial respiration before he was moved to a hospital where he is now recovering. The father said he thought his child had died and he would sue the mall for its lack of safety measures at the rides and the negligence of its staff.
Brig. Turki Al-Harthi, director of Jeddah Civil Defense, said the department is following up on the condition of the boy. The mall’s owner had been instructed to stop the use of the ride and repair it, as well as to impose stricter standards concerning the entry of children to the area. Theme parks and malls owners are obliged to contract approved institutions for the periodic maintenance of rides. Violations would entail fines, said Al-Harthi.
Al-Harthi said the level of safety measures installed in an establishment depended on the establishment’s size. Personal safety measures, however, have to be followed by both the parents and the staff operating the ride. Some parents leave their children in the ride area and go shop while the child should be playing under their supervision. Children should also meet the appropriate age for riding a certain ride. The 7-year-old boy had the accident aboard a ride where wagons go through a dark tunnel. This ride was not appropriate for his age.