Alys Martinez, Oct 23, 2018
KEYT-TV
The parents of a 4-year-old boy pricked by a discarded hypodermic needle at a Santa Barbara park are demanding action from city leaders.
It happened on Sept. 23, 2018, at Plaza de Vera Cruz, when Hayes Parrish found a used needle on the play structure. He pricked his hand and was bleeding.
Since then, Hayes has been repeatedly tested for HIV, Hepatitis C, and other infectious diseases. Doctors told the family, they won’t know if Hayes was infected for at least a year. Doctors also gave Hayes a round of a drug which is the equivalent to chemotherapy. The drug is capable of preventing HIV but has to be given within 72 hours of possible infection.
The boy’s parents sought the legal counsel of Santa Barbara Attorney Barry Cappello of Cappello & Noel LLP.
On Oct. 18, 2018, Cappello sent a letter to Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo, City Administrator Paul Casey and city councilmembers stating that the city has “long turned a blind eye to the drug dangers at the park.”
Hayes’ parents said they expect the city to take immediate steps to prevent this from happening to another child, and request that an item be placed on the City Council agenda within 30 days.
“If you are going to have a play structure, you are inviting children. If you are not going to clean up the parks and make them safe, you need to remove the play structures,” said Hayes’ mother Brittany Parrish.
Cappello said he believes other parks in the city are unsafe too.
“The city has a play structure in the middle of the park where there are homeless vagrant addicts in the park, leaving needles and they’ve known about it for years. It’s intolerable. It’s unacceptable,” Cappello said.
The Parrish family does not have an intent to sue the city, but Cappello said they will consider litigation if nothing is done.
Hayes’ parents said they will continue to have sleepless nights until this nightmare is over and they know for sure their son was not infected.
Santa Barbara City Attorney Ariel Calonne released this statement to NewsChannel 3:
“Mr. Cappello is welcome to speak to the City Council during public comment. Under the state open meeting law, the Brown Act, the Council is not permitted to discuss this matter today solely on the basis of Mr. Cappello’s letter.”
“I know I speak for the entire City when I say that, as a parent, I can’t imagine anything worse than a serious injury to my child. Until we know the facts of what happened, however, there is no reason to believe the City and taxpayers are legally or morally responsible for what appears to be the behavior of an illicit drug user. “
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For more: Santa Barbara Noozhawk, Nov. 16, 2018
