4-year-old boy loses fingers at golf range

Monday 31st March, 11:55 PM JST

KANAGAWA —

A 4-year-old boy got his fingers stuck in a machine that collects golf balls at a golf practice range in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Sunday afternoon. He was taken to hospital where doctors amputated four fingers of his right hand.

According to police, the boy got his fingers stuck in the conveyor-belt machine that automatically collects golf balls around 1:20 p.m. after he came to the golf range with his mother, 27. The mother told police she lost sight of her son and then heard him crying near the machine. Police said there is no fence around the machine and it does not have any shut-down safety function.

13 Comments

Taka313 at 12:56 PM JST - 31st March

As a parent, all I can say is there by the grace of God go I. It only takes a second for kids to get away from you and end up doing something like this.

My heart goes out to the little guy.

Taka
cleo at 01:04 PM JST - 31st March

I second Taka's comment. Many rant on these pages about 'inattentive parents', but you have to have been there yourself to know how easily and quickly children slip out of sight.

Poor little boy. And poor mother.
keech2 at 01:30 PM JST - 31st March

Taka an cleo, I agree completely.
Desiderata1967 at 02:55 PM JST - 31st March

Rubbish! Slip out of sight? Any good parent would be keeping an eye on them when they take them out in public. Not letting them wander off while they concentrate on their golf swing!!

I don't care what anyone says, Japanese parents are among the most ignorant when it comes to safety and kids!
cleo at 03:33 PM JST - 31st March

'Any good parent would be keeping an eye on them when they take them out in public. Not letting them wander off' And you have been there, done that in duplicate, have you? Never let Junior out of your sight for one second in 18 years, did you? Because that's all it takes, 1 second and the little escape artist is gone. I ended up putting my kids on leads when they were little because they were both so good at doing a runner. They put their little Japanese friends in the shade when it came to getting away from Mum. And anyone hinting that Cleo is 'among the most ignorant when it comes to safety and kids' is asking pretty-please to be struck by a thunderbolt...!
the_sicilian at 05:27 PM JST - 31st March

Cleo and Taka: You are correct. As a parent myself, I saw, in horror as one of my kids nearly drowned, and many adults were at the pool watching. Sometimes, kids do slip from sight for just a second, then tragedy hits. Fortunately, I saw this and saved him. This poor mother could have lost her child.

Now I don't excuse lazy parents, or the fact that Japanese parents have absolutely zero clue on the value of child restraint in a vehicle (I digress), but this woman should not be lionized as there are not enough facts.

Addiu
curlygene at 06:30 PM JST - 31st March

Desiderata,

Try going a little more placidly, hey?
kyushujoe at 08:53 PM JST - 31st March

Desiderata "Japanese parents are among the most ignorant when it comes to safety and kids!" It must be great to know so much about a topic. Could you tell us in detail how Japanese parents compare to parents in Lithuania, Ecuador, Iceland, Uzkekistan and Kiribati? I'd love to know, and to hear how you know all about it!

Moderator: Comparisons to parents in other countries are of course irrelevant.
electric2004 at 09:15 PM JST - 31st March

Happened to the child of a friend of my (Japanese) wife. Their child (4 year old girl) was on the escalator, then slipping, falling, trying to catch the fall with the hands and then from one finger some skin and the tip were torn of.

Yes, I always try to take by little boy (3 years) by the hand in situations I think might be dangerous, but ...

he is skillful and he knows to how escape and how to play "hide and seek".
greenteaonsens at 10:09 AM JST - 1st April

I have a 4 year old boy. The thought of him losing 4 fingers is just horrible. Mr deepest sympathies to the poor child and mother in this story.
UnagiDon at 11:13 AM JST - 1st April

Poor kid, and poor mom who'll have to live with feeling responsible - whether she is or not, I'm sure she'll feel guilty. And let me add my spite for the ignorami who are more concerned with slamming parents than anything else.
Yikes at 12:35 PM JST - 3rd April

This is extremely sad and my condolences go out to both mother and child. However as a parent (and avid golfer) of a 2yr and 5 yr old boy, I personally would never consider taking my kids to a driving range as you have people swinging iron and titanium clubs around (ie. a driver can be swung easily over 100 mph /160 kph) and if it's busy, there's someone doing this every 6-8 feet. If the range is a multi-story range like in Meiji Jingu or Himonya, there are no barriers on the 2F and 3F so very easy for a child to simply walk off the ledge. I only want to point out that golf driving ranges are not a very suitable place to take young children unless they are there to learn golf under supervision.
bushlover at 10:34 AM JST - 4th April

Poor kid. But what was he doing there? Working on his golf swing? Come on mom. there are places you should and shouldn't be taking your kid.