A boy will spend weeks in a wheelchair after being ‘knocked down’ by two dogs roaming off-leash in a park.
An afternoon in the park ended in agony for 4-year-old Archie O’Neill as he played in Brighton. Book in the coastal suburb of Scarborough in northern Perth on Sunday.
Archie suffered a broken leg after taking a nasty fall when the dogs knocked him down.
“The children were playing, running up and down a hill in the park and the dogs came around the corner and knocked him (Archie) down,” said his mother Jemma Holcroft. Seven news.
Dad Ben added: ‘Archie was on the floor crying. I picked him up, cradled his leg and the more I did that, the more I thought he was really hurt.’
The boy’s parents claimed the dogs’ owners showed little care or concern for Archie afterwards.
“One of them said to me as I approached, ‘Did the dog just take your son out?'” Holcroft said.
“And I said, ‘Yeah, he did.'”
Jemma Holcroft (left) and Ben O’Neill (right) comfort their son Archie, who suffered a broken leg after being “knocked down” by dogs roaming the park off-leash.
‘He was obviously quite upset at the time and then nothing (from the owner), almost mocking.’
Dogs at Scarborough Reserve must remain on a lead at all times.
Lawyer John Hammond told Seven News that dog owners would not be so dismissive if they knew the potential penalties.
“Unless your dog is leashed at all times except in a dog exercise area, then you are responsible,” she said.
‘You could be charged with a crime and you could also receive a very large civil lawsuit for tens of thousands of dollars if someone is injured.’
Archie will spend the next few months in a wheelchair recovering from a broken leg.
Archie was playing at Brighton Reserve in Scarborough when the ordeal unfolded.
Stirling City Council is investigating the incident.
However, Ms Holcroft is more interested in receiving an apology from the owners.
“If only they could come forward and apologize to the little boy and his family because we’re going through a very difficult six weeks,” he said.