11yo shish-kebab'd on fence| tree fall

Eric Frei · 17th August 2011, 07:50 AM

Young lass falls from a tree right onto one of those old colonial stupid fences with the spikes. You know, you see these types of fences around old buildings, govt house etc etc.

She gets impaled and they have to cut off the spikes to free her. Shoe goes to hospital spike and all!

Caitlyn Brown, 11, impaled on metal fence after falling from tree | Mail Online

Quote:

16th August 2011
A schoolgirl miraculously survived being impaled on a metal spike for two hours after she fell from a tree.

Caitlyn Brown, 11, dropped six feet from a branch onto a metal railing, with one of the spikes plunging more than six inches into her body.

It pierced her stomach but amazingly missed her vital organs by millimetres and stopped just three inches from her heart.

Her parents, Jan Stevens and Michael Brown watched in horror for more than two hours as firefighters battled to free their girl from the iron railings.

Caitlyn, who asked for music to try and distract her while she was trapped, is now back at home after spending weeks in hospital and is making a good recovery.

Fire crews used hydraulic equipment to cut the rails and free Caitlyn while a doctor administered pain relief before she was taken to hospital - with the fence still stuck in her body.

Mrs Stevens, 38, of Grindon, Sunderland, said: 'It was horrendous. Caitlyn was literally hanging from the railings - I couldn't believe what I was seeing.'

Caitlyn had been out in the fields adjacent to their home where she regularly played with friends when the freak accident occurred.

Like many children who used the field as a play area, Caitlyn climbed the tree to hop over the five foot fence, as the only entrance to the field was around a 15 minute walk to the other side.

Mrs Stevens, a health care assistant, said: 'Caitlyn and her friends were always playing out, and we can see the field from the house so we knew it was safe.

'She wanted to go out this particular night, and we couldn't see a problem with it so off she went for an hour or so.

'The next thing I knew, her friend Renee came running in the house screaming that Caitlyn was stuck on the fence.

'I didn't understand what she meant - I thought she had tried to climb it and become scared and needed lifting down.

'When I got there, I couldn't believe my eyes.'

Mr Brown, a manufacturing engineer, called an ambulance and tried to keep her daughter calm whilst the ambulance and fire crews arrived.

'She was so brave, and barely cried. She just kept asking for music to take her mind off things,' Mrs Stevens said.

'All of the neighbours came running out and people were trying to find her something to stand on to ease the pressure on the wound.'

Caitlyn was given pain relief by a doctor at the scene and was rushed to the Sunderland Royal Infirmary with a police escort before being transferred to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

She was taken straight down for x-rays which confirmed that - miraculously - the spike had missed all of her organs by millimetres and stopped three inches short of piercing her heart.

Doctors then took Caitlyn down to theatre to perform the complex procedure of removing the spike.

Mrs Stevens said: 'We were out of our minds with worry, it was terrible. We just wanted to be with her, but we knew there was nothing we could do.

'The operation seemed to take forever, but she was only actually in for about one and a half hours.'

Caitlyn remained in hospital after the accident on June 11, whilst doctors monitored her condition and her wounds.

'Once she got home, Caitlyn started to improve. Her wound was very sore, making it difficult for her to walk.

'Slowly but surely, she has made a full recovery and we are slowly getting over the shock.

'It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened - if the spike had been just a few millimetres further back, it would have ripped through her organs.

'We have been so lucky. And Cailtyn will never climb another fence or tree again.'

derwoodii · 17th August 2011, 06:40 PM

Ouch poor girl This kinda thing happens every so often traditionally drunk young bucks.

Hmm maybe here's the pointy bit of the matter,

as the only entrance to the field was around a 15 minute walk to the other side.

Jeff Darby · 17th August 2011, 07:49 PM

Honestly who has not taken a short cut when you were a kid? I know I have, I was lucky this didn't happen to me and the rest of you reading are probably just as lucky like me it did not happen to you either. I am happy she has survived to tell the tale to her babies later on in her life...

Eric Frei · 17th August 2011, 08:47 PM

Says kids can use the field for playing but some fool only puts access in one place..... 15 minute walk is a fair whack compared to hopping the fence.

Also kids climb trees so why have Vietnam style booby traps under them? Idiot council. Remeber the trees are in a play area, you ought to see what the kids do to the trees at the park down the road here. All over them like monkeys but there's just grass under the trees not a bunch of steel spikes.

Poms, say no more.

17th August 2011, 06:40 PM	#2
derwoodii Mature tree Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Melbourne Posts: 406	Re: 11yo shish-kebab'd on fence\| tree fall Ouch poor girl This kinda thing happens every so often traditionally drunk young bucks. Hmm maybe here's the pointy bit of the matter, as the only entrance to the field was around a 15 minute walk to the other side.

17th August 2011, 07:49 PM	#3
Jeff Darby Moderator - Previously known as JayD Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: TreeWorld, Sydney Australia Posts: 2,059	Re: 11yo shish-kebab'd on fence\| tree fall Honestly who has not taken a short cut when you were a kid? I know I have, I was lucky this didn't happen to me and the rest of you reading are probably just as lucky like me it did not happen to you either. I am happy she has survived to tell the tale to her babies later on in her life... __________________ Member: Australian Tree Association Join the Australian Tree Association...Have your voice heard ! Arboriculture, A life long study for some, a passing phase for others © Jeffrey J Darby 2011

17th August 2011, 08:47 PM	#4
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,994	Re: 11yo shish-kebab'd on fence\| tree fall Says kids can use the field for playing but some fool only puts access in one place..... 15 minute walk is a fair whack compared to hopping the fence. Also kids climb trees so why have Vietnam style booby traps under them? Idiot council. Remeber the trees are in a play area, you ought to see what the kids do to the trees at the park down the road here. All over them like monkeys but there's just grass under the trees not a bunch of steel spikes. Poms, say no more. __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

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