A WEST Belfast mother is warning other parents to get rid of their children's e-scooters after her son suffered a fractured skull following a horror crash and had to undergo a three-hour operation.
Donna Nann from Poleglass was told her son Cody (8) had a 50-50 chance of survival by doctors in the Royal Victoria Hospital after the incident just after Christmas.
Cody suffered a fractured skull and a bleed to the brain and required emergency surgery. He is now at home in the early stages of his recovery.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Donna explained: "It was the day after Boxing Day. Cody went out to play with his friends.
"He went out on the e-scooter with his friend. He got one for Christmas last year but this new one had a higher speed.
"He was out in the street and lost control and the scooter started shaking and flew across to the opposite side of the road and Cody ended up in the field beside the flats.
"A man from the flats brought him down to me. Cody said he had a sore arm. He also had no helmet on and my kids know they have to wear a helmet. He knows himself he was in the wrong.
"The next thing he started being sick and was a grey colour. I immediately thought of concussion.
"I brought him down to the Royal. He got an X-Ray on his arm and it was just badly bruised. He then got a CAT scan which showed a bleed to the brain and a fractured skull.
"He then blanked out and had to be hooked up to a machine to help him breathe. He had another CAT scan and the bleed had got bigger.
Cody with mum Donna
"It was at that stage the doctor told me there was a 50/50 chance that he was going to survive surgery. It was meant to be an hour and a half (the operation) and it ended up being a three-hour operation. It was the longest three hours of my life."
Donna has been left scarred by the incident, saying she gets flashbacks of waiting in hospital whilst Cody was in surgery.
"Since it happened, I haven't been able to sleep properly," she added. "I have seven kids and with what happened to Cody and the 24-hour care he needs, it has been really hard.
"He was big into football and the outdoors and can't do all of that now. Every time I see one of them e-scooters, the flashbacks just come back to me.
"I never thought something like this would come to my door. It has really highlighted to me the dangers of e-scooters.
"What I went through in being told if my child is going to survive or not, they just aren't worth it.
"There won't be another one in the house. I have got rid of them all. My eldest 16-year-old has one and I got rid of that too. Maybe the next time my child wouldn't be that lucky, you just don't know.
"I can't tell other parents what to do but they should seriously consider getting rid of them. I am lucky that Cody is still here."
