Concerns over child safety

by Guest 08.01.12 11:01

It seems to me that a few of them have hinted at possible safety issues, which they noticed during the holiday. Here is one of them from Kate's book.

After checking in we were driven over to our accommodation in a minibus by a Mark Warner rep. Our apartments were in a five-storey block accessed from the front by a road, Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva. There was a car park outside. At the rear, a veranda overlooked a garden, pool area and tennis courts. All of us except David, Fiona and Dianne, who were on the first floor, had ground-floor flats. Matt and Rachael were next door to us in 5B, and Jane and Russell in 5D. Ours, 5A, was on the corner of the block. It was lovely: much nicer and larger, in fact, than we had expected, and well equipped. Though I envied David and Fiona their sea view, being on the ground floor meant we didn’t have to worry about the children’s safety on a balcony.

by Guest 08.01.12 11:18

From David Payne's Rogatory Interview:

1485 ”What about the sliding doors in the apartment, what were they like?”
Reply ”Err the sliding doors were a slight, they were slightly difficult to lock and that was you know one of our concerns err when we were there and it was, it was quite temperamental whether you could open them or, or, or lock them, and err yeah especially you know sometimes we had the other children coming up there so it was difficult but there was someone on the balcony or if their children were to you know venture out we would keep an eye and you know explain to them that they shouldn’t be out on the balcony you know without an adult present. Err but obviously we tried to keep the err door shut when no-one was out on the balcony and err open if there’s someone sat out there keeping an eye on them. Err the way it opened and locked was again I think it was err like a, a, a lat, you know like a lever which went up and down and I just remember it not being the most easy to err work out how to shut and, a bit temperamental.”
1485 ”Mm.”
Reply ”So err you know so that was probably one of the slight difficulties with that room.”
1485 ”Yeah.”
Reply ”You know, being on the first floor.”
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The Payne children were slightly younger than the McCann children, yet Kate envied their apartment position on the first floor, despite it's obvious dangers.

by Guest 08.01.12 11:21

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A picture to illustrate the Payne concerns maybe?

This little girl, the Payne's eldest, was approximately 2 years and 9 months old.

by russiandoll 08.01.12 14:27

from an earlier post:

”What about the sliding doors in the apartment, what were they like?”
Reply ”Err the sliding doors were a slight, they were slightly difficult to lock and that was you know one of our concerns err when we were there and it was, it was quite temperamental whether you could open them or, or, or lock them, and err yeah especially
you know sometimes we had the other children coming up there so it was
difficult but there was someone on the balcony or if their children were
to you know venture out we would keep an eye and you know explain to
them that they shouldn’t be out on the balcony you know without an adult
present.
How old was the oldest child visiting? How could you explain to children that young that they should not be out on the balcony
without an adult? I thought they were all toddlers. Easier and safer with under 4s to just PREVENT them from accessing the balcony.

and re the quote from Kate . She said " though," weighing the advantage of a sea view against the dangers of a balcony, worded in a clear way imo for a reader to infer that the safety was more important than the view.

by Guest 08.01.12 14:32

Precisely Russiandoll. There are a few subtle little hints in various things now about the concerns of that balcony.
If the door could not be locked securely, why would OC even allow a family with very small children to stay up there?

by Guest 08.01.12 14:36

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Does this look like a little girl that would remain in a travel cot, should it topple over?
Yet the Payne's thought that by having their two children sleeping in cots, that they would be safe !!
Especially with direct access to a balcony.
Personally, I think she looks to old for a cot.

by russiandoll 08.01.12 15:07

Travel cots are great but for children of a certain age they can easily topple over due to weight [ say of a toddler trying to climb out]. Sleeping arrangments would be an issue for me with children, as any fall is on to a hard tiled floor and therefore potentially v serious for a head injury.
My choice for over 2s would be a bed, however without a bed guard at the side to prevent a child rolling out on to a hard surface, the cot might have seemed safer. All this should have been considered before booking that holiday, but I am convinced they were a group who thought of their own pleasures before the needs of the children [ even though I do not accept they were unattended at night].

by Nina 01.03.12 16:08

Hubby has been fitting a baby gate today. No sadly not for babies but to keep our 12 dogs from too-ing and fro-ing as they wish.

The instructions say in big letters not for use for child safety over the age of 24 months, and then even qualifies this even more by saying not for use at the top of stairs.

Got me thinking about the baby gate that was at 5A. Was it requested as the cots were and surely should not be at the top of the stairs, the bottom floor level bar is a nightmare and easily tripped over, hence I suppose the not at the top of stairs.

It is decades since I had a child or grandchild but surely the McCanns would have known the gate was an accident waiting to happen.

Did any other of the group with childrten have a baby gate?

I am sorry I cannot post photographs of the baby gate at 5A. Maybe someone would help? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

by russiandoll 01.03.12 17:27

photos of 5a show an apartment built not at ground level even though the first level in the block.....there is quite a drop if you look ove the balcony railing to to paved garden area below.