SPARKS –– The sun shone as children played at Deer Park in Sparks on Feb. 5 and 2-year-old Malakai Dean slid down the slide, allegedly bumping his head on the way down.

That night, the boy died.

Autopsy reports have not been released, but a white paper sign now hangs at the park, asking anyone who saw Malakai play to contact the Sparks Police Department.

Lt. Tom Miller is not labeling the investigation a homicide but rather a simple death investigation. The man who was caring for the child as he played at the park is not a suspect, he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children age 14 and younger for playground-related injuries every year.

Without the autopsy report, Malakai’s sudden death is still a mystery. However, according to REMSA Emergency Medical Services director Kevin Romero, head injuries in children can cause problems long after a fall.

“There are signs and symptoms to look for later like dizziness, being lethargic, vomiting, any type of blurred vision, but the most important thing is that the child is not acting the way you are used to them acting,” Romero said. “As a parent, you will know. There is just something amiss.”

However, he added that the fall would have to be severe in order to cause the child’s death.

“It is pretty unusual to see a traumatic head injury of that severity in a child,” he said. “Something significant must have happened.”

But if the fall is severe and parents do call for emergency help, the professionals will check for several things. When REMSA responds to a playground fall, they first check for several vital signs: level of consciousness, whether the pupils are dilated and activity level.

If a child falls while playing at a park, the best thing to do is to simply keep an eye on them, he added.

“Pay attention,” Romero said. “Keep an eye on the child and do not let the child go to sleep. Do not go home and take a nap for several hours after the fall.”

If parents see any of these signs in their children, they immediately need to call 911, he added.

While children still play at Deer Park, miles away the echo of sirens still resonates in Malakai’s Round Mountain Circle neighborhood. A memorial fills a front yard bench and Malakai’s picture stares out from the home.

The Sparks Police Detective Division is asking anyone that saw or interacted with Malakai to contact the detective division at 353-2225 or Secret Witness at 322-4900. 

Facts about falls from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Each year, nearly 9.2 million children ages 0 to 19 years are seen in emergency departments for injuries and 12,175 children die as a result of being injured.

• About 45 percent of playground-related injuries are severe–fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations and amputations.

• About 75 percent of nonfatal injuries related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds. Most occur at schools and daycare centers.

• Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries. Of them, 82 (56 percent) died from strangulation and 31 (20 percent) died from falls to the playground surface. Most of these deaths (70 percent) occurred on home playgrounds. 

• While all children who use playgrounds are at risk for injury, girls sustain injuries (55 percent) slightly more often than boys (45 percent) .  

• Children ages 5 to 9 have higher rates of emergency department visits for playground injuries than any other age group. Most of these injuries occur at school.

• On public playgrounds, more injuries occur on climbers than on any other equipment.

• On home playgrounds, swings are responsible for most injuries.

• A study in New York City found that playgrounds in low-income areas had more maintenance-related hazards than playgrounds in high-income areas. For example, playgrounds in low-income areas had significantly more trash, rusty play equipment and damaged fall surfaces.