• 6-year-old undergoes two surgeries to head

• Can't comment on stadium due to court case: Mayor

  On 22 February, almost a month ago, Lahiru Fernando – a resident of Moratuwa – and his six-year-old daughter became victims of a freak accident when they were visiting the Tyrone Fernando Stadium in Katubedda, Moratuwa. According to Fernando’s account of the incident, one roofing sheet on the roof of the unattended stadium building came down on them, fracturing six-year-old Dichelle’s skull and causing severe injuries to Fernando’s arm in his attempt to protect his child. [caption id="attachment_125483" align="alignright" width="278"] The roof of the unattended stadium building[/caption] His 10-year-old daughter Diara was unharmed, but her father stated that she would later scream in her sleep at night for several days due to the shock of witnessing the incident. Dichelle had to undergo two surgeries in which a piece of her skull, as well as of the brain, was removed. This could have an impact on her motor function as she grows up. Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Fernando recalled the details of the accident, commenting on how it has made an impact on their lives and their hope for justice. He said he went to the stadium with the two little ones at around 6 p.m. on 22 February, as they wanted to play in the grounds. After parking the vehicle, the three were on their way into the stadium. “As I was walking with the two kids, I heard a big noise – a roof fluttering in the wind. When I looked up, I saw a roofing sheet coming down halfway. I didn’t have much time and I shouted at the kids to run. As I covered the little one with my arms, the roofing sheet hit my left hand. It came from behind, hit me first, and then my daughter who fell. I had a deep cut on my arm and I couldn’t move. “I lifted my daughter with my right hand. That is when I felt that her skull had sunk in. My eldest daughter was crying in shock. Unfortunately, no one else was there at that time. However, one gentleman helped us get my daughter back into the car. I offered him my keys and asked if he could drive us home as my left hand was injured. He must have been in shock to drive, so I drove back home with one hand,” Fernando said. After driving home, the father and daughter were taken to the nearest doctor who examined them and said that the child should be taken to the hospital immediately. They rushed to an Emergency Medical Centre at Soysapura, from where they next took an ambulance to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Kalubowila. “They did a CT scan on my daughter first and an X-ray on my arm. After the CT scan, the doctors said it seems there was internal bleeding in the brain. However, they said we should go to the Colombo National Hospital since there was no neurosurgeon at Kalubowila,” Fernando said. His parents took Dichelle to the National Hospital and Fernando was taken to the nearest private hospital, where he underwent surgery to reconstruct his arm. Fernando’s sister Shanilka, in a Facebook post, said he was rushed to the private hospital after much persuasion, as all that time he was refusing to leave his child’s side, and his hand was untreated except for stopping the bleeding. “He was taken into surgery to reconstruct the injured arm and underwent a nearly four-to-five-hour surgery. According to him (the surgeon), aiya (Fernando) has to wear the cast for at least one-and-a-half months, after which he will have to undergo physiotherapy to regain full function of the hand,” she said. Speaking with us, Fernando said there were no bone fractures in his left arm but a deep cut. [caption id="attachment_125482" align="alignright" width="276"] The roofing sheet that fell off on Lahiru and his daughter[/caption] Meanwhile at the National Hospital, a piece of Dichelle’s skull had been removed as a result of a depressed fracture. She was discharged on 25 February and was asked to come to the hospital on 9 March to get the stitches removed. “After removing the stitches and going home, there was a complication. Dichelle’s bandages kept getting soaked with brain fluid. We consulted the surgeon who said they will probably need to take her into the operation theatre again and do a cleaning and restitching. But after she was taken in, the surgeon had realised the condition was more complicated,” he claimed. “When a piece of the skull had been removed earlier, a piece of the brain had been exposed, from where brain fluid had been leaking. The surgeon had to amputate that piece of the brain during the second surgery. When we asked whether there will be any functional impact on her, the surgeon said there could be a complication connected to her eyesight as she grows up. He also said that there was a potential tendency for seizures. My daughter is now taking medications for seizures as well. Luckily, there were no seizures. We don’t know how this will end up as she grows up,” Fernando said. Meanwhile, the doctors have said it will take at least six months for his arm to heal. He commented on how they used to visit the stadium every weekend but didn’t know how unsafe the premises was. “Now we see that there have been requests to renovate the stadium. It seems like more people are aware of the condition of the stadium now,” he said. The family had lodged a complaint with the Moratuwa Police which has launched a probe into the incident. The case was to be taken up in the Moratuwa Magistrate’s Court for a second date on Friday (19). When The Sunday Morning inquired whether there was any response from the Moratuwa Municipal Council, Fernando said: “One of our relatives has briefed the Mayor. No one visited until recently. On Wednesday (17), MP Premnath C. Dolawatte came and checked on us. He asked if there was anything that needed to be done for my daughter. On the National Hospital’s side, he helped us. “We also didn’t directly approach anyone. We do not want to go behind anyone. We just want justice for the incident because my daughter is in a serious condition,” Fernando said. When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Dolawatte said he visited the family and spoke to them, and then inquired into the medical requirements and the wellbeing of little Dichelle. “I also spoke to the doctors and the Deputy Director of the National Hospital. We are looking into the issue, and we will see to it that necessary action would be taken promptly,” he said. He said the Municipal Council should take responsibility for the matter, adding that ultimately the responsibility would come to the Government. “This is a sensitive issue. What we need to do now is to get the shortcomings rectified as soon as possible. We have paid attention to the issue,” he said. However, Moratuwa Mayor Samanlal Fernando said he was unable to comment on the matter due to the ongoing court procedures. “There is a court case. I have not even given a statement. I know there was an incident but not about the exact details. Since there is a court case, I cannot comment further on the matter,” he told The Sunday Morning. When asked about complaints on the dilapidated status of the stadium, the Mayor said: “Whatever we say revolves around the court case. Therefore, it is not proper to comment on it. Had the stadium not been looked after, it wouldn’t even be in the current status. These are buildings that have been there for years. Whatever comment we make, it may not be in either their favour or ours. Otherwise, we could have explained what action has been taken. Due to the court case, we can’t say anything,” he insisted.