A young boy from Stevenage has suffered bruising on his chest following a cruel playground game which has become alarmingly common over the past few months. The craze, known as ‘seat belting’, results in the victim being yanked back and forth by their bag, mimicking the force in car collisions.
“Craze is basically whiplash”
The worrying new craze consists of a person with a rucksack over their back being thrown from front to back with their fabric straps creating a seatbelt like reaction, jerking them around. Jack Barmby, who was the victim of the incident, was left with large red bruises on his chest and whiplash injuries (shown below).
boy is left with whiplash https://t.co/LnypXSOFO8 how you can help yourself with no drugs remedy https://t.co/b2KOSg5ezR
— Peter Leslie Western (@GenealogyData) October 6, 2016
His mother, Miss Laura Young was understandably very upset and annoyed by the incident, telling the Daily Mail “The result of this new craze is basically whiplash, but it’s extremely worrying as Jack could have broken his collarbone or really hurt the muscles in his neck.”
“’The potential for serious injury is huge. Kids need to be aware of the dangers of these silly harmful crazes. There is nothing remotely funny about causing horrendous pain to someone else.’
Danger to young bodies
What makes the craze more dangerous is that it is being undertaken by young children without fully developed bodies. A whiplash injury for an adult can be bad, it can stop you from working for some time, require rehabilitation and cause discomfort for a long time. For a child that has not fully developed and is not as tough as a more developed adult’s body, these types of injuries can bring with it further complications and risks.
In Jack’s case, despite wearing a blazer and a shirt over his rucksack straps, he has still sustained large areas of bruising across his chest and shoulder, leaving him with stiffness and neck pain. The boy responsible for the incident was reprimanded by the school and his parents made aware of his behaviour.
Jack’s mother also pointed out that after her son’s injury, a girl half Jack’s size also admitted to being bullied by a similar treatment, which could easily have been even worse. The school has since taken action to clamp down on the behaviour.
Whiplash help
As a personal injury solicitors, we are dedicated to helping fight against the proposed whiplash reforms by the government which, paired with the £5,000 personal injury limit, currently prevent access to justice for those who have suffered genuine whiplash injuries and need assistance.
If you, a friend or family member have suffered a whiplash injury, you are still able to make a claim, as all of the proposed changes are yet to take effect. We are experts in personal injury claims and can offer our services to anybody of any age, including children.
If you’d like to speak to one of our expert team, you can call us on 01695 722 222 (lines are open weekdays from 9am to 7pm). Alternatively you can get in touch via our online claim form.
We offer a ‘no win no fee’ service which ensures even if your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t pay us a penny. With no risk in starting a claim, why not call today and see what our experts can do for you, your friends and your family.