The boy’s father, Modrek Basaeed, blamed school authorities for refusing to take necessary steps when the accident occurred.
Majed bin Modrek Basaeed, 14, is in stable condition but may be in a vegetative state indefinitely.
“When my son was brought to hospital his school principal refused to put the necessary signature for the admission to hospital,” Basaeed said.
He added that his son was exposed to danger because of the negligence of the school authorities, who sent 50 students with just two teachers to take care of them.
He thanked the hospital for starting the life-saving treatment on its own without waiting for formalities.
“After the initial trauma I started wondering about the legal procedures I should take after such an accident,” he said. “I will never keep quiet until we get our rights as parents. Today my boy is the victim of the negligence of school authorities, next time it will be the turn of another child. A little while ago another schoolboy was killed at an amusement center in Jeddah because the school authorities sent the boys without teachers to look after the children.”
He requested the Ministry of Health not to transfer the boy to any other hospital as he was getting good attention at the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
According to hospital sources, the boy was not breathing when he was brought to hospital by the Red Crescent at noon on Saturday.
“His heart was revived four minutes after his arrival and he was put on a life-saving system immediately,” said Dr. Khaled Alem, medical director of the hospital.
Brig. Abdullah Jeddawi, director of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said the boy met with the accident while on a picnic at an amusement center. Jeddawi added that the rescuer at the amusement center was a Bangladeshi laborer and the first-aid was administered by a Filipino electrician.
Meanwhile, the Education Affairs Department in Jeddah has issued orders to halt all visits and picnics of schoolchildren to fun parks, recreational centers and swimming pools as a precaution against accidents.
