A woman says that her 10-year-old daughter has been left struggling to eat and speak properly after losing two of her teeth from a fall at a Nottingham play area. Cheraya Tolbert had gone to play with friends at the Heskey Park and Play Area in St Ann's on April 23 this year.
At that time, the park featured several stone sculptures of mushrooms which could be sat on. But when Cheraya did this, she fell off the seat and face planted the floor.
Charlene Angeles, 33, who lives with Cheraya and her five other children, recalls the moment that Cheraya was brought home. She said: "Her brother brought her back and she was crying and there was blood everywhere.
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"One of her teeth then fell out and she actually passed out on the floor. We had to call for an ambulance and when she was in hospital I could see that her gums were just absolutely shredded.
"I've never actually seen gums looking like that before, where they are literally just hanging down. Two of her front teeth had gone right up into her gums and they brought them both down, but one of them was completely shattered and only a fragment of the other one is now left.
"She now really struggles to eat and you can't really understand what she's saying because you need your front teeth. It really has changed her and she doesn't want to go back to school because she's getting picked on for how she looks."
After the initial treatment in hospital, Ms Angeles is now waiting for a dentist to accept Cheraya so that ongoing dental care can be provided. The family have been told that until Cheraya's jaw has fully developed at around the age of 18, she will not be able to undergo full surgery to put false teeth in.
Amid the upset that this has caused Cheraya, Ms Angeles now wants Nottingham City Council to provide her with more support. She said she is now working with solicitors to try and obtain some form of compensation from the council, which manages the Heskey Park and Play Area.
She said: "I just think it's disgusting that this has happened on a city council facility and that they are not taking any responsibility for it. They have told me that they can't give me compensation and that the mushroom seats were safe because they have never had any incidents reported about them before.
"But these things had no rubber surface to sit on and no rails or anything, they just sloped down and it was so easy to fall off them. If they were so safe, I don't know why the council has now removed all of the mushroom seats.
"Even if it wasn't compensation, I think the least they could do is help us out with some dental treatment. They have just totally washed their hands of this and I don't think it's right."
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: "We're very sorry to hear about Cheraya injuring herself at Heskey Park and wish her all the best in her recovery. However, we are unable to comment on any ongoing claims against the council as they may become subject to legal proceedings.
"We can confirm that we have removed the mushroom seating in the park. These have been in situ for around 14 years without incident, but in the knowledge that an accident has now occurred it was felt prudent to remove them.
"Traditional seating including a proposed picnic table is being considered to replace them. As with any civil claim, there is no automatic right to compensation. For a claim to be successful there must be evidence of a breach of duty, or negligence, on the council's part. As it is seating, an impact absorbing surface isn’t required.”
Ms Angeles added: "We're just really hoping at least to get accepted by a dentist soon because I'm worried about what is going to happen to her gums in the future after an impact like that. I'm not going to give up on fighting this."
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