A mother is calling for accountability and seeking information related to the individuals who allegedly injured her seven-year old daughter by slamming a public toilet door on the girls finger while on a family fishing trip at Blue Lagoon on Sunday, 4 October.
The Foresthaven resident, Priya Bernard said that she is still struggling to come to terms with what happened to her daughter, Pravishka Bhagwandeen. According to Bernard, the family was preparing to head home after their day out when Pravishka asked to use the toilet. “I allowed Pravishka to quickly go inside the toilet while I waited for her at the entrance as I had been carrying their bikes and some other items with me. I honestly thought my child was safe as I was just outside the toilet entrance waiting for her,” she said.
Shortly after Pravishka entered the public facility, Bernard recalled hearing her daughter scream hysterically, prompting her to rush inside, “I was shocked when I realised what had happened to my child. As a mother, your first instinct is to protect your children, and seeing her hurt like that was heartbreaking. There was a group of ladies by the sink who attempted to rinse blood off from my daughter’s hand while she was crying in pain. I asked them what happened and no one answered. A bystander subsequently confronted the women, accusing them of slamming the door on the child’s hand,” said Bernard.
She added that the perpetrators actions following the incident caused them even more distress. “The woman who injured my daughter had initially agreed to take us to the doctor as the child was in immense pain and could not stop crying. I told my husband to carry on with my son as we had requested an Uber home. We then followed the women, however once we were under the bridge, out of sight from my husband, they questioned what we wanted from them and said that I should forget about them taking the child to the doctor as she had put her hand on the door,” Bernard recalled.
For the mother, the lack of compassion compounded an already frightening experience. She said: “I could not understand how anyone could see a child injured and simply walk away. My daughter was in pain, and all I wanted was for someone to take responsibility and help her. We returned to the car park and luckily, my husband had still been packing our belongings into the Uber and so we all left together. With private doctors closed on Sunday evening, we took Pravishka to the Unit 10 clinic, where she received pain medication and an injection. However, the bleeding continued and were forced to wait quite some time for treatment.”
Bernard said that their concerns deepened on Tuesday when they removed the bandage from Pravishka’s hand and noticed pus around the wound. Worried about a possible infection, Bernard took the child to a private doctor in Tongaat for further medical attention. “The injury has affected the hand Pravishka uses for school, forcing her to miss classes while other kids in the area returned to school,” she said.
Bernard said the experience had left her angry and traumatised. “I never imagined that a quick trip to the toilet could end with my child getting hurt. It has made me realise that, as parents, we cannot take anything for granted when it comes to our children’s safety. I want other parents to understand how quickly something can happen. I hope sharing our experience makes people more aware and encourages them to treat others, especially children, with compassion,” she said.
Bernard added that her biggest regret was not taking any photos or obtaining the woman’s details during the incident. “I want justice for my daughter and the person responsible to take accountability of the pain and trauma she caused to my little girl. She deserves to be charged and to face the consequences of her actions. She injured an innocent child and didn’t care about apologising for what she had done or ensuring that the child gets medical treatment for the injury. I hope that by telling my daughter’s story, someone comes forward and helps identify the woman responsible so further steps can be taken,” said Bernard.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, eye witness, Lisa Rampersad recalled the incident: “I was standing in the queue, waiting to use the toilet, when two children, a girl and a boy, ran inside. They looked at me, and I told them to go ahead. There was a woman standing by one of the toilet doors, holding it closed. The child was clearly desperate to use the toilet, but the woman said someone was inside. The child then pushed the door of the next cubicle, but the woman inside pushed back against it while the woman outside pulled the door from the top, saying, ‘I told you someone is inside.’ It was only when we heard the child screaming that we realised something was wrong. I was shocked. The women quickly came out, and blood was gushing from the child’s hands. Three women then took the child to the basin to rinse off the blood. When the mother rushed inside, she heard me confronting the woman.”
Anyone with information on the identity of the alleged perpetrators can contact Bernard on 068 568 8726.
