Areas designed for children to play this summer may not always be as safe as you think. One North Texas mother says her young child suffered serious burns Thursday at a popular downtown Dallas park.
The burns were so bad they required extensive medical treatment.
Nicholas and Ferrell Fellows contacted NBC 5 after they said their son was injured near the splashpad at Klyde Warren Park.
They said 16-month-old Kingson Fellows stepped barefoot, but for just a few seconds, on the soft surface about five feet from the fountains of the splash pad located in the children's area of the park. That's when Nicholas Fellows said Kingson began to frantically jump.
He said he immediately checked the bottom of his son's feet and saw blisters beginning to form.
Ferrell Fellows said she received a phone call from her husband while at work.
"My husband called me. I heard my son in the background screaming, and I've never heard him scream like that before," she said.
Nicholas Fellows rushed his son to a pediatrician's office, where he said he was told Kingson suffered second-degree burns.
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Thick bandages now cover Kingson's feet, and he will be unable to walk for a week.
"We do everything we can to protect our child. If we had known the risk, we never would have put our son in danger. And that's the park's responsibility; to let parents know that there's danger so they can protect their children," said Ferrell Fellows.
NBC 5's Scott Gordon reported a similar story in 2013. Shayna Dyson said her barefooted daughter, Avery, stepped onto the path at Klyde Warren Park and was burned within seconds.
In a statement to NBC 5, a Klyde Warren Park spokesperson said Thursday:
"We take the safety of our patrons very seriously at Klyde Warren Park. We strive every day to ensure that each and every one of our patrons has an enjoyable experience. We're sorry to hear about the guest experience today. We are working to increase awareness that surfaces in the park may become hot in our Texas summers. We advise our patrons to be cautious and use their best judgment as they play and enjoy everything the park has to offer."
