A schoolboy suffered a broken neck after being crushed by a falling goalpost during a PE lesson.
Alan Ramsay was knocked unconscious and suffered three fractures after the goal tipped over when he tried to swing from its crossbar.
Classmates at Liberton High School, Edinburgh, watched in horror as he lay unresponsive for three minutes, with bones sticking of his mouth and neck.
The accident happened less than a year after another pupil at the school, 12-year-old Keane Wallis-Bennett, died after being crushed by a free-standing wall as she changed for PE.
Alan suffered three serious fractures and damage to a blood vessel in his brain, which left him at the risk of a stroke – although doctors believe he is recovering well. He is now being monitored and faces at least two months in a neck brace.
His mother, Louise, 30, said: “It’s just horrific. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. You send your child to school and the next minute you find out that they are hurt.”
Since the incident on February 5, Alan has been moved around different hospitals for X-rays, surgery and a neurological scan.
Alan’s family feared he might have been left paralysed by the accident, but medical staff have reassured them that his mobility has not been affected.
Doctors are still working out the best way to treat the ‘kink’ in the blood vessel, as the issue is not common in children and can increase the risk of a stroke.
His mother added: “I get that he was playing on the crossbar, but I don’t know how they managed to fall on top of him.
“They haven’t secured them firmly enough.”
A spokesman for the city council said: “We take all incidents of this nature extremely seriously and immediate action has been taken to prevent anything similar happening.
“The school has carried out a full risk assessment of all gym activities and other schools and community centres have been instructed to carry out an immediate review of similar equipment.
“The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.”