Durban – A 15-year-old who has suffered serious injuries including spinal damage and being partially scalped would not be able to start the school year in the first term.
This is what doctors have told the father of Kristen Govender who sustained these injuries after her hair got tangled during a go-kart ride at the Gateway Theatre last Wednesday.
Kristen who was still in ICU has a spinal fracture, some spinal cord damage and a torn aorta which led to a haemorrhage.
Speaking on Tuesday while with his daughter in the hospital, Vernon Govender said Kristen also had a torn scalp which doctors have managed to stitch.
“She has no mobility from her waist down, she can’t move or has any feeling in her legs. Doctors have said that since she is fairly young, they would not risk taking her to the theatre now.
“She has a blood clot in her spinal column as well and, according to doctors, it's too risky to operate. We just have to give her some time, with the medication and some sort of therapy we remain optimistic.”
Govender also, however, said his daughter was doing a little better.
“She is now responsive and talking but still has no movement from her waist down. She’s still in a serious situation, we’re not out of the woods yet, she is still in ICU. She is going to Grade 10; she is an A student having got all As at the end of the year and she was really looking forward to entering the new year in school.”
He said that since the incident he had received only one phone call from the go-kart establishment to find out how his daughter was.
“That was the day after the incident, in fact I had called the mall management and they said they were not even aware of the incident.
“ It’s really scary that they run the establishment and they don’t even know what's going on. There’s been no further calls from the go-karting place or the mall and it’s been six days since the incident.”
Govender said that he believed the accident happened due to “complete negligence” on the part of the establishment.
He said that Kristen had been with her aunt and cousins at the time.
“There was just an indemnity form signed, when I asked my daughter about the safety protocols followed she said they were just told to put on a helmet and drive. They didn’t give them any videos to watch or any instructions on how to operate the kart. This is a piece of machinery and you need to have safety instructions.”
He said that he had found out that they were supposed to have been shown a video to watch – and with the instructor with them – however, nothing of the sort was done.
“On the day of the incident during the ride, my daughter said that a piece of the vehicle had come out when she went into the tunnel. She said she asked an employee on the track about the piece and he just pulled the plastic piece off and told her to carry on. She asked him if he was sure it was all right to continue and he told her it was, he said just get on and drive”.
Govender said in her second lap Kristen’s hair got tangled and she was completely shocked and sustained critical injuries as a result.
“The establishment followed no safety precautions and offered no first aid whatsoever, my 13-year-old son who was with them ran to the offices of the management and they closed the offices and disappeared from the scene.”
He explained that first aid was rendered to his daughter by members of the public who were there.
“My son took off his shirt and gave it to my brother-in-law who wrapped it on Kristen’s head to try to stop the bleeding as she was bleeding profusely from the back of her head. The excuse from the go-karting place is that they have a paramedic who leaves at 6pm and this happened around 5.45pm. I asked the security at the mall; the Gateway Theatre of shopping had extended shopping hours for the festive season. Why did they not have a paramedic on standby until 10pm?”
Govender said the security ran away from the scene, adding that when paramedics arrived they explained that they had difficulty finding access to the go-karting place.
“The Gateway did not do anything to assist paramedics in gaining access.”
He described how the incident unfolded was tragic.
The Daily News is still awaiting a response from the mall to questions emailed.
Comments will be added once received.
Daily News