In Orchard Mesa, Colorado, parents and children have had to be on the lookout for something you wouldn’t normally expect to find in a playground — fishhooks.
According to FOX 31, an 11-year-old boy injured his hand this weekend when he encountered a fishhook while going down a slide at a Western Slope playground. His aunt and uncle examined the slide and found three more fishhooks taped there, positioned straight up so that any child going down the slide risked cutting their leg.
According to local police, it’s the third time this month that this has happened, and safety patrols in around the parks have been increased. Both Mesa County Parks and Facilities and the Grand Junctions Parks and Recreation department are going around to inspect the equipment every day, instead of two to three times a week.
“It’s just unbelievable that somebody would want to hurt our children like that,” said Greg Linza, of Mesa County parks. “We are taking these reports very seriously and we’re working with the city of Grand Junction and see if we can find out who’s doing this.” The safety patrols, though, have not yet come across any additional sharp objects. Anyone who finds such objects should contact 911 and warn anyone else in the playground.
For anyone who does encounter a sharp object while at a playground, the emergency room isn’t always the best choice considering that wait times in the U.S. now average about four hours for non-life threatening issues. Urgent care medical facilities can help with cuts, broken bones, and other non-immediate issues and typically are more affordable, and have a shorter wait time than emergency rooms.
