Three children suffer horrific burns after being scalded by hot tea and cooking oil

THREE children face a long and painful recovery including skin grafts and wearing pressure suits after suffering third-degree burns in horrific accidents involving hot tea and cooking oil.

Brooke Burns was making a cup of tea when, in the time it took her to turn around to put the sugar away, her 20-month-old daughter Sophie had pulled the tea down on herself.

Sophie was raced from the family’s San Remo home to Gosford Hospital by ambulance and was transferred to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead that night, with a combination of superficial, second and third-degree burns to 20 per cent of her body.

Meanwhile, two Terrigal siblings face years of painful skin grafts after getting doused with hot cooking oil in a freak accident at a market.

Erina Heights Public School pupils Oliver, 5, and Amalka Larauza, 9, suffered third-degree burns when a strong gust of wind knocked over a gazebo, pushing a fryer at their parent’s stall onto the children.

The Central Coast community is now rallying behind both families with fundraising efforts under way to help meet the cost of the children’s treatment.

LITTLE SOPHIE IN LONG AND PAINFUL RECOVERY

THEIR wedding was meant to be one of the happiest days of Brooke and Jye Burns’ lives but it was turned ­upside down when their toddler sustained serious burns four days before their big day.

Ms Burns was making a cup of tea on August 10 when, in the time it took her to turn around to put the sugar away, their 20-month-old daughter Sophie had pulled the tea down on herself.

Ms Burns wasted no time getting in the shower with her screaming daughter.

“I had quite a severe burn of my own before I had Caleb so I knew how much pain she would have been in and how important it was to do something quickly,” she said.

Sophie was raced from the family’s San Remo home to Gosford Hospital by ambulance and was transferred to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead that night, with a combination of superficial, second and third-degree burns to 20 per cent of her body.

While Brooke and Jye were prepared to postpone their wedding, Sophie was given a last-minute leave pass from hospital to be part of their big day last Friday. “When she saw her dress in the morning, she was so excited,” she said.

“My mother walked her down the aisle and it was one of the first times she had walked since the accident and it brought Jye to tears.”

Sophie faces skin grafts, wearing a pressure vest and physiotherapy for the next 12 months.

Community members Betty Hall and Barbara Wright have organised a fundraiser at Doyalson RSL sporting fields on ­August 30 from 10am to 3pm.

The club has donated the use of the fields and stall fees will be donated to the family. There will also be auctions, raffles and entertainment.

Search Sophie’s fundraising fun day on Facebook or call Ms Hall on 0401 611 364.

SIBLINGS BADLY BURNT BY HOT OIL

TWO Terrigal siblings face years of painful skin grafts after getting doused with hot cooking oil in a freak accident at a market.

Erina Heights Public School pupils Oliver, 5, and Amalka Larauza, 9, suffered third-degree burns when a strong gust of wind knocked over a gazebo, pushing a fryer at their parent’s stall on to the children at the ­Berowra Fine Food, Wine & Handcraft Market on August 2.

Oliver, who is in kindergarten, received burns to a third of his body including his legs, bottom, back and left arm and has already endured seven painful operations following the accident.

His sister Amalka, in Year 3, was burned on 20 per cent of her body, including her legs and left arm.

Their father and stallholder Benoit Larauza, who runs the Croissant Frais food stall and sells fried churros which were being cooked in the oil, removed the children’s clothes while bystanders helped hose them down with water before emergency services arrived.

The pair was taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead­.

“They are both talking, and missing school, but Oliver is in a lot of pain and ­Amalka is now worried about the scarring,” mother Katerina Larauza, who has been at her children's bedsides with Mr Larauza since the accident, said.

“We still can’t believe this has happened, that your life can be changed so completely in a split second.”

Mrs Larauza said the children will have to wear special pressure suits to help the skin heal for up to a year and a half, with visits to specialists two to three times a week to change dressings.

She said she was “so grateful” to everyone who has offered help to the family.

“Central Coast Kids in Need have been great helping find accommodation for our older son Sebastian, as he was unable to stay with us in the hospital. And now people we don’t even know are offering to help,” she said.

“Both our families live overseas, so having this support from the Central Coast community is amazing. Once we leave hospital we will have a long journey to full recovery but at least we will be home and together and things will get better again.”

Now friends and the close-knit market community are rallying around the siblings to raise money to help .

Shelly Beach Markets is donating gold coin entry fees and proceeds from a raffle at its August 29 event.

An online fundraising page has also been set up. Go to mycause.com.au and search for ­Amalka and Oliver. At the time of going to press, the page had already raised $1870.

Read the story | See the fundraising campaign