Boy required surgery after falling through window in park

An 11-year-old boy has needed surgery after falling on glass and cutting his leg while playing football in a park.

Edgar was playing in Trevor Street Park in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, when he jumped to catch the ball and landed on broken glass.

Edgar’s father, Gwydion, 47, took the boy to hospital where doctors said he had severed an artery and tendons in his knee.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council said it was taking the issue seriously and had organised extra waste collections.

Warning: This report contains an image of an injured child that may be disturbing to some people.

On June 24, Edgar asked his parents if he could go to the park to play soccer with his friends.

Edgar’s mother Liisa said: “We were making dinner and told him it would be ready soon. He said he wanted to go to the park and asked if we could warm it up later, so we let him.

“Then we got a video call from a man we didn’t know, telling us to come to the park as soon as possible.

“We could hear Edgar screaming in the background. It really traumatized his sister.”

Gwydion said he went straight to the park and couldn’t believe what he saw.

“It was a fenced area inside the park where children played,” he said.

“The grass was quite high and he dove to stop the ball while he was playing the role of goalkeeper. It landed on the glass which no one could see.”

He took Edgar straight to the hospital where doctors examined him and discovered he had a severed artery and tendons in his knee.

“Edgar had surgery on his leg the next day. He now has to wear a cast for six weeks and he can’t do any sports for at least three months,” Liisa said.

“He was in a play that he did for seven months and now he can’t be in it anymore. He’s also going to high school next year, so he’s missed the end-of-year activities the last few weeks.

“When he left the hospital, he was afraid to go back to the park in case something bad happened to him again.”

Liisa reported the incident to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council a few days later.

After receiving no response, she contacted them on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I received a response asking for my number and when they called me they told me that I would have to wait 10 days before having a response to the complaint.

“I asked them if they wanted to know what park it was so they could do something, and they said they would send someone,” she added.

Liisa said she had not heard from the council since.

The family have since visited the park and said that although the grass had not been cut and there was still rubbish on the ground, they could not see any glass.

The family said they wanted the council to acknowledge what happened.

“It’s frustrating that he’s missing out on the things he loves most in life for three whole months, and it was completely unnecessary.

“Just because someone decided to break a bottle doesn’t mean it’s heartbreaking for them and for us to have to accept that.

“I wrote the complaint on Edgar’s behalf so he could get an apology and acknowledgement for what happened so he could feel safe in the park,” she said.

Liisa said the family now wants to find the parents who helped Edgar on the day of the incident.

“The support we have received from our friends, family and the wider community has been overwhelming.

“We are very grateful to the staff at Prince Charles Hospital who took such great care of him, and thanks to them he will make a full recovery.

“It was a very busy night and must have had a huge impact on the other children in the park. We would really like to speak to the two dads who helped Edgar.

“We want to thank him and show our appreciation for everything they did for him that day.”

A spokesperson for the RCT council wished Edgar a full and speedy recovery.

They reassured the family that their concerns had been passed on and apologised if their response did not demonstrate how seriously council officials were taking the incident.

The council said it had now planned extra waste collections following issues with anti-social behaviour in the park.

The company said in a statement that it was also working with South Wales Police, adding: “There is never an excuse for littering and this incident just shows the horrific consequences of someone’s stupid actions.”