Parents share horror stories of children burnt on metal grates at NSW pools and parks

NSW parents have come forward with horrifying stories of toddlers suffering blink-and-you-miss-it “checkerboard” burns after a similar incident on the Mid-North Coast.

Leanne Jesser's daughter Olivia suffered similar 'checker plate' burns.

More parents have come forward with horrifying stories of toddlers suffering “checkerboard” burns in the blink of an eye following a shocking incident at Port Macquarie.

When Leanne Jesser, who lives in Ballina, heard of the burns sustained by Emma Ferrato’s daughter at the Westport water play park recently, it brought back the trauma and shock of a similar incident seven years ago.

She was living in Brisbane at the time and had taken her then-two-year-old Olivia Harry to a privately run swim centre.

A new metal ramp and hand rail had been installed and as they were leaving she noticed a sign warning of the hot surface.

With her swim bag on one shoulder and holding her toddler’s hand on the other side, it took what Ms Jesser estimates as half a second for the family outing to turn traumatic.

Leanne Jesser with her daughter Olivia who was badly burnt when she had only just turned two.

“I think her plastic thongs melted and she slipped and fell on her leg and bottom and put her hand down,” she said.

“She got up so fast and was screaming – I had never heard anything like it – I thought she must have broken her leg, her reaction was just so off.

“It was so incredibly hot she was barbecued in three separate places along her leg, all in the blink of an eye, and it happened in November, which isn’t even the hottest part of the year.”

Ms Jesser said she was somewhat lucky because she was able to quickly douse the burns with cold water from showers and a medical centre was across the road.

“I thought she would suffer lifelong injuries with the deep blisters,” Ms Jesser said.

Parents have come forward with horrifying stories of toddlers suffering ‘checkerboard’ burns in the blink of an eye including Emma Ferrarto’s daughter (at centre) who suffered shocking burns recently at Port Macquarie. Olivia’s burns are pictured at right.

Ms Ferrarto is yet to learn if her daughter will be scarred or require further surgery for her injuries, Ms Jesser says Olivia escaped with a single scar on her hand.

When Ms Jesser learnt of the Westport incident and saw the telltale burns, she was horrified.

“It brought everything I went through back up to the surface – that shock, horror and fear of seeing your child screaming and it’s such a shock because you’re out for a fun family day and you’re expecting to be safe,” she said.

Emma Ferrato with her one-year-old daughter who suffered horrific burns at a council water play park at Port Macquarie.

Staff first asked if Olivia had been wearing shoes, but when they saw the burns they were shocked and immediately covered the ramp with wet towels.

Ms Jesser said the ramp has since been covered in rubber matting and she’s spent the last seven years warning other parents of the potential danger.

“Every year when it comes up in my Facebook memories I share the photos to warn others. I have a three-year-old at the moment and I am always checking surfaces,” she said.

Olivia Harry at home after being treated for the burns.

The metal grate at the Westport park has now been covered with astroturf and 100mm of sloping concrete constructed around the perimeter.

A council spokesperson said the concrete will be covered in topsoil and grass to alleviate trip hazards.

A Port Macquarie-Hastings Council worker covering the metal plate in astroturf the day after the incident at Westport water park.

Ms Jesser said children can be unpredictable and accidents happen.

“Kids play on everything – you can’t cordon everything off but materials used in play areas or nearby, say within 500 metres, need to be heat resistant,” she said.

“I also think there needs to be more parental awareness to help stop it.”

More horror stories

Cill Rawiri is another parent with a similar story.

Responding to the Westport incident on January 3, she said: “This exact thing happened to my toddler in September 2022.”

“The grate was that hot it burnt her like a barbecue – at a public swimming pool.

“I was right next to her when she fell, it happened in the blink of an eye.”

Cill Rawiri's daughter fell onto a metal plate at a public swimming pool and suffered burns 'in the blink of an eye'.

Ms Rawiri also shared a photo of burns with a distinctive checker marking.

Many responding were critical and questioned whether better supervision could prevent similar injuries.

But Lismore’s Michelle Neagle said a similar thing happened to her friend’s toddler, despite supervision.

“It happened right next to us as she played at a local lagoon water park,” she said.

“We were watching her. No one expected the grate in the middle of the walkway around the pool to be scalding hot – it looked like aluminium or something, which doesn’t get as hot.”

After the incident, Ms Neagle tested how hot it was and said she could not believe it.

“It burnt my toe after a split second,” she said.

“We informed the lifeguards and they barricaded it off and now it’s been painted over with some heat resistant paint.”

Originally published as Parents share horror stories of children burnt on metal grates at NSW pools and parks