A NEWPORT girl was injured, including nerve damage, after she suffered a deep cut caused by another child with a pair of scissors while she was at nursery, legal papers state.

Mia Bush, four, was at Seren Fach Nursery in Caerleon when she was cut by a fellowpupil who leaned forward while he was holding a pair of scissors which had three-inch metal blades.

Mia, who was three at the time, was in a class of children cutting paper when she was injured by a young boy while a key worker turned away momentarily to talk to a parent nearby, legal papers filed against the nursery say.

A medical report stated she suffered a deep laceration to the little finger of her left hand, which cut an artery and sliced a nerve and tendon in her finger on May 12, 2011. The wound was 1cm wide.

Mia, who lives in Caerleon, was bandaged at the nursery before being taken to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital.

The following day, she went to Swansea’s Morriston Hospital and put under a general anaesthetic in the plastic surgery unit to allow surgeons to repair the artery and nerve. Her finger needed dressing for two weeks, but she made a full recovery within three weeks.

Mia’s mother, Krystina Merrett, 24, said: “I was badly shocked, there was a lot more blood than I was expecting.” Mia is now in a different nursery.

Andrew Collingbourne, managing partner of HBJ&W and Victorious, said: “This is an unusual case involving a very small child whose parents and grandparents understandably feel passionately, which is reflected in the fact legal proceedings have now been issued.”

The Argus made several approaches to Seren Fach nursery for a comment, but they did not comment.

 

Family start proceedings against nursery

THE family has started legal proceedings against the nursery and are making the following allegations:

● Failure to supervise the children adequately or at all while they used the scissors

● Failure to provide one-to-one supervision of the children who were using the scissors

● Failing to carry out any or any adequate risk assessment before allowing the children to use the scissors

● Failing to supervise the children closely, in contravention of its risk assessment form

● Failing to remove the scissors from the children before turning away to talk to a visitor

● Providing the children with scissors which had sharp metal blades

● Failing to provide children with scissors that had blunt plastic blades

● In all the circumstances, failing to take any or any effective steps to protect the children from the risk of injury from the scissors

● Exposing the children to a foreseeable risk of injury

The estimated value of damages for pain and suffering and loss of amenity is between £1,000 and £5,000.

This includes a loss of earnings for Mia’s mother, who had to take two days off work for hospital appointments and petrol costs for driving to Swansea.

The nursery denies each of the allegations, except two and five – it admits there was no one-onone supervision, but denies this is necessary or required.

It admits the scissors were not taken from the children, but denies this was negligent. The nursery says the scissors were from the Early Learning Centre and suitable for children aged three and up.

Seren Fach admits Mia suffered an injury, but does not admit the full extent made in the medical report, and denies the injury was caused by negligence on its part.