Nine-year-old in horror holiday accident

Feb 10 2008 by Matt Withers, Wales On Sunday

A SPORTS-MAD youngster has been left unable to walk after an horrific accident at an African hotel.

Kyle May-Rees, nine, was standing next to a glass door when a gust of wind smashed it shut, severing tendons in his legs.

Kyle, from Peterston-Super-Ely, Vale of Glamorgan, still has little movement in his left foot six weeks after the Christmas holiday incident in Gambia and his parents face an agonising wait for the results of an AIDS test.

And the hotel’s management added insult to injury by offering the family TWO WATCHES as compensation for the incident.

Mum Jann, 37, said that her once rugby-crazy son had become “introverted” following the horrendous incident.

She said: “He was a very outgoing, very outspoken boy before the accident. He was actually the class clown.

“But his teacher has said since his return to school he’s become quite quiet in himself, quite inward.

“We’ve seen a big change ourselves. What’s going on in his head is a big concern.

“He’s a very, very sports-orientated young man and he’s been told he can’t do any contact sports for at least 18 months. The loss of independence at nine is horrendous.

“I can’t bear to think what’s going on inside his head as he’s not talking about it.”

The family had only been staying at the five-star Jerma Beach Resort in Kololi for two days when the accident happened on December 20.

Mrs May-Rees had gone to a patio on the first floor to take some pictures with Kyle.

As she stood outside with Kyle inside the billiard room, a sudden gust from the Atlantic blew in, slamming the door onto Kyle and shattering the glass.

Kyle kept shouting: “The wind blew the door shut, the wind blew the door shut.”

He was taken to a medical centre with his mum and 44-year-old company director dad Geoffrey, where they were told the glass had severed both tendons in his legs and he would need an emergency operation.

It was carried out at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Banjul, in just 40 minutes, rather than the three hours it would take in Britain. And the family later found the wrong tendons had been joined together, leaving him with no movement in his foot.

He was then taken back to the medical centre while his parents made immediate plans to return home to Wales after a Dutch doctor staying at the resort said there would be a risk of infection in Gambia.

According to the family, the hotel manager added to their anguish by asking them to pay for the door damage before offering two “absolutely dreadful quality” watches as compensation for the injury.

Kyle will start physiotherapy this month and has been told it could take up to two years before he can walk again. But his facial and bodily scars will remain with him for life.

He has suffered continual nightmares, his mum added, and had tests for HIV and hepatitis on Friday.

“The next three months are going to be an absolute nightmare for us as parents waiting for the results,” she said.

Now she is calling for changes in Gambian health and safety laws.

“They are trying to change the laws and bring them up to some sort of form by 2012,” she said. “I will return for a meeting with them and try to help. I’d like people to know Gambia’s a safe place.”

The hotel was unavailable for comment, but a spokeswoman for First Choice, who flew the family to Gambia and helped them after the incident, said: “Although First Choice features Jerma Beach in its brochures, the May-Rees family did not book it as a First Choice package.

“I understand that our First Choice representatives were on hand to help the family in what must have been a very distressing time.

“I would also like to make clear that the family’s concerns about the safety of the hotel have been passed to the relevant departments including Health and Safety and Product.”

matt.withers@mediawales.co.uk