Mum, 45, has finger ripped to the bone after she dropped a bowling ball on it in sickening accident in alley
Hayley Byfield says she has permanent nerve damage in her middle finger after an accident at the Cardiff branch of the Hollywood Bowl
A MUM’S fun half-term day out turned into a nightmare when a bowling ball is said to have landed on her finger and almost ripped it in half.
Hayley Byfield, 45, took her two kids ten-pin bowling to keep them entertained during their school half term.
But what was intended to be a fun day out went horribly wrong - when Hayley's finger was completely ripped open leaving her bone exposed.
Her horrified children Isaac, 10, and Sofia, nine, were with their mum at Hollywood Bowl in Cardiff when the incident took place.
Hayley said: "The game was just about to start when Isaac tried to pick up a ball that was too heavy.
"I walked over to the rack where the different sized balls were and picked up the lightest one they had.
"I just started to head back to give the ball to Isaac when I tripped on a wooden rail."
Hayley, of Heath, Cardiff, says she went "flying through the air" and the ball she was holding flew out of her hand.
She then came crashing to the ground before the bowling ball landed on her middle finger.
She said: "The children were hysterical when they saw my finger. I ran to the reception and an off-duty paramedic said I needed to go to hospital.
"By the time I got to A&E the pain was off the scale. I couldn't believe it."
Hayley was told she needed to see a surgeon and spent two hours having the finger stitched back together.
She said: "The doctor told me that I had damaged the nerve but I wasn't going to lose my finger.
"I left the hospital with a huge bandage but I felt grateful that my finger was still there at all."
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Hayley says the family has not been bowling since that day in April in the Red Dragon entertainment centre in Cardiff Bay.
She added: "My finger will never be the same again. The tip is numb and the doctors say the nerve damage is permanent."
A spokeswoman from Hollywood Bowl told The Sun Online: "We can confirm there was an unfortunate accident at our Cardiff bowl in April 2017, where a customer’s finger was injured and as result a settlement was made to this customer in June 2018.
"We take the safety of our customers extremely seriously and display safety guidance in the centre so customers can enjoy their game safely."
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