DELRAY BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — A young child stepped on a screw protruding from a floor in the Seven Bridges “Splash Pad” on Sunday, bleeding into the water and requiring multiple stitches. The incident follows another where a child suffered a chin laceration and also required stitches.
In both situations, G.L. Homes, which continues to market Seven Bridges nationwide — and whose vice president serves as president of the HOA, took no immediate action — refusing to close the “splash pad” to investigate potential safety issues. Both incidents occurred on days when the Seven Bridges sales office was open.
The Seven Bridges sales office is being used to sell homes in Seven Bridges as well as the new “Boca Bridges.” Both communities are on Lyons Road, bordering unincorporated Delray Beach and Boca Raton.
The Seven Bridges “Splash Pad” is used in marketing material by G.L. Homes nationwide. At least two children have required stitches while using the facility. Health officials have closed the area three times.
The safety of the “splash pad” is on the radar of local health department officials who ordered the splash pad closed on June 12th, again on June 13th, and again on October 10th. G.L. Homes was provided with photographs of screws protruding from the floor as county officials investigated an injury, but neither the builder nor the HOA — run by a G.L. Homes representative — apparently took adequate action to prevent children from being injured.
G.L. Homes was provided photos of hardware protruding from the company’s kiddie pool at Seven Bridges in June. A child was injured, requiring stitches, on November 11th. (Department of Health).
A G.L. Homes representative did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday afternoon. A representative of the community’s management company — in an email obtained by BocaNewsNow.com — stated that “everything went as it was supposed to.”
Health officials have closed the Seven Bridges “splash pad” three times. A metal piece is seen protruding upward in this photo.
The Centers for Disease Control states that blood in a swimming pool does not necessitate an immediate closing of the pool, as “chlorine kills germs found in blood.”
However, questions remain as to whether the splash pad itself — used in G.L. Homes marketing material nationwide — is safe for children.
BocaNewsNow.com could not verify Monday that G.L. Homes self-reported the latest incident to Palm Beach County health officials. The water feature, and the sales office, remained open throughout the day.
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Ed. Note: We have covered the horror of child drownings, pediatric traumatic brain injuries and permanent disabilities sustained by children using aquatic equipment. We believe that exposing pool safety issues, whether in private community or public pools, is vital to keeping children safe.
