GREENWOOD, Ind. – A mother in Greenwood voiced her concerns about the ground temperature of a splash pad at a park after her son’s feet were burned Monday.
Kristen said she and her 2-year-old son visited the playground at City Center Park when her son suffered second-degree burns from walking on the splash pad.
The mother said her son had run off to go play, but when he stood on the blacktop, he started screaming. She said within seconds her son’s feet turned bright red and started to swell.
"It was just split second. He walked off and it happened,” said Kristen, who posted the incident on Facebook.
The post has since been shared over 3,000 times.
"I have a lot of mom friends, and I just wanted them all to know - hey, if you take your kid here make sure they have shoes on before they even get out of the car, because those split-second things can happen, and that material is way too hot,” she said.
RELATED | Greenwood unveils big downtown development plans | New shopping, entertainment center planned for Greenwood
While visiting the splash pad Tuesday, RTV6 reporters measured the temperature of the pavement and the splash pad. Both measured 162 degrees and 116 degrees, respectively.
Kristen said she called Greenwood’s parks department about the rubberized material.
"We're going to be doing our due diligence on this,” said Rob Taggart, director of Greenwood Parks and Recreation. “We take any matter on city property very serious, any incidents that happen, regardless of the magnitude."
Taggart recommends parents keep shoes on their children as the weather continues to warm up.
