Bauska municipality checks sports equipment after boy is hurt by falling hoop

A 10-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when a basketball hoop structure fell on him at a sports ground in Iecava in early November, LSM reported, citing Zemgale Regional Television. His parents plan to file a complaint with police, while Bauska municipality investigates the accident and checks sports equipment elsewhere in the municipality.

The boy remains at the Children’s Clinical University Hospital. His parents said he needed surgery and suffered a fractured skull, brain and brain-lining injuries, and a fractured cheekbone. They said he may also have partial facial paralysis. The family declined to speak to the media.

Residents told the broadcaster that the hoop had been damaged and was supported by concrete blocks. The hoop involved in the accident has been removed. A bloodstained cloth was still at the skate park where the accident happened.

The municipality has reviewed surveillance footage. Deputy executive director Jānis Kalinka said the video shows how the accident happened, but an assessment of the structure’s technical condition is still under way. He said the child caught himself on the basketball net and pulled the hoop over.

The movable basketball hoops were bought in 2017 and were designed to be stabilised with weights. After the accident, the municipality initially laid them down and cordoned them off before removing them on Sunday.

The municipality is also checking the safety of sports equipment at other locations in the area.