A nine-year-old girl was seriously injured in a horrifying playground incident in Hull.
Southcoates Primary School pupil Justyna Jakubowska was playing with friends at John Hadland Park on St John’s Grove on June 4. At around 6.20pm, she suffered a fractured skull.
Justyna was admitted to Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital in Leeds. She was then transferred to the Paediatric High Dependency Unit at Hull Royal Infirmary where she remained for 11 days.
Since Sunday, June 15, she has been recovering on the Acorn Ward. Justyna’s dad, Sebastian Jakubowska, told Hull Live the family had suffered “many sleepless nights and many tears”.
He said: “During those 12 days, we experienced probably the worst moments in our lives with fear that she would not survive, then that she would be paralysed and now whether everything would return to normal and be like before the accident.”
(Image: Sebastian Jakubowska)
Sebastian’s main fear now is that his daughter’s eyesight won’t recover; he said she “has to look at everything very close and does not recognise colour”.
He said Justyna was very active and is a member of AB School of Dance in east Hull, but “now she cannot even sit on her own”. He said her sense of taste has also been affected, and it is not clear if these issues will be permanent.
Sebastian added: “Justyna currently does not remember the accident, she only asks the question why this happened to her and tries to do whatever she did before the accident, draw, create something.
“Although it does not work for her, she does not give up.” He believes there is a “very long way to go” in Justyna’s recovery.
(Image: Sebastian Jakubowska)
He said she has been undergoing long-term treatment and physiotherapy because the injuries caused problems with vision, motor coordination and physiological problems.
A Gofundme fundraiser for the family has been set up by a friend to help them out financially. It says: “Justynka has two other siblings, an older brother and a little sister.
“In order for one of the parents to be in the hospital at all times, the father has temporarily given up work and the mother looks after the other children. The family need financial help so that they do not have to worry about bills and can focus on the sick child.”
A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: “We are aware of the incident at John Hadland Park. The council is satisfied that all inspection and maintenance records were completed correctly. Our thoughts are with the child and their family during this difficult time.”
Humberside Police confirmed it is not investigating the incident.