BAY VILLAGE, Ohio – Dawn Hamil said her 11-year-old daughter was having a fun summer until she got burns on her leg and ankle while walking on the sand at Huntington Beach in Bay Village.
Hamil said her daughter and other kids were walking in the sand on a camp field trip Monday morning when three of the kids stepped into a pit filled with hot ashes and hot coals. Hamil said there were no signs warning of hot coals buried in the sand.
“Three kids got hurt, including my daughter. She got burns and blisters on her leg and foot,” Hamil said.
Hamil said maintenance workers from Cleveland Metroparks emptied grills from the Fourth of July weekend and dumped the hot ashes and hot charcoals on the beach and covered them with sand.
Hamil emailed Cleveland Metroparks and later received a letter Metroparks informing her they are “reviewing the current protocol for the disposal of charcoal ash”.
But when newsnet5’s Paul Kiska pressed the Metroparks spokesperson for answers as to how this could happen, he was told major changes are on the way.
“It’s a situation we wished hadn’t happened. We hope the girl heals quickly. The location for dumping ashes and hot coals has been changed. Workers will start placing hot ashes and hot coals in metal drums," The Metroparks told newsnet5.com.
Hamil called the Metroparks letter “cold” and said her daughter and the other kids weren’t offered so much as an ice cream cone by Metroparks officials from the nearby Honey Hut on the day they were burned by the coals.
She said her daughter is on crutches and can’t swim or play softball.
“They affected my daughter’s life, They interrupted her summer,” Hamil said.
Here is the full statement the Metroparks sent to Hamil:
Dear Ms. Hamil:
We are in receipt of your email regarding your daughter and her S.T.E.M. class visit to Huntington Beach. We recognize the seriousness of this matter and hope your daughter recovers quickly.
Our Park Operations staff is reviewing the current protocol for the disposal of charcoal ash at our Huntington reservation and will work to improve that process. In the interim, preventative measures have already been implemented to eliminate the possibility of this happening again.
Cleveland Metroparks hosts visits from thousands of students annually across the park district's more than 23,000 acres and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and we take safety matters very seriously.
We appreciate the concern voiced in your email and have already worked to improve this particular process at Huntington.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns
Sincerely,
James Kamps
Director of Parks – West
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