The accident and the boy's condition
A 12-year-old boy is hospitalized in critical condition after a soccer goal fell on his head at the Club Atlético Lanús sports complex, in the southern part of Greater Buenos Aires. The impact caused a severe head injury and he was taken to the Sanatorio Güemes, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo, where he remains in an induced coma with risk to his life, according to medical reports. Police from the 4th Precinct of Lanús went to the scene and arranged the transfer.[S1][S3]
The accident occurred on Tuesday around 1 p.m., according to police sources, while the boy was playing at the educational complex of the institution. The child, a first-year student, suffered a severe cranioencephalic trauma and has already undergone three surgeries. He is stable and lucid but has hemiparesis as a consequence of the blow, according to reports.[S1][S2][S4]
Investigation and family complaints
The Functional Instruction Unit No. 6 of the Avellaneda-Lanús judicial district opened an investigation ex officio and classified the case as negligent injury. The boy's family denounced delays and lack of assistance from Club Lanús, saying that the parents themselves had to rescue him because there were no medical personnel from the sports center or school officials present to activate an emergency protocol.[S1][S2][S3]
According to the parents' account, the goal was not properly secured to the ground. They also said that an external ambulance took about 20 minutes to arrive, and that the boy had lost consciousness, was vomiting and in a state of shock, so those present decided to move him by their own means to speed up his care. He was first treated at the Hospital Narciso López and then transferred to the Sanatorio Güemes by his father's health insurance.[S2][S4][S5]
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Demands for safety measures
A group of club members and parents of students presented a formal petition to club president Nicolás Russo, the head of the Education Subcommittee, Mirta Ferrer, and the general director of the Educational Complex, Marisa Marón. In the letter, they demanded an urgent audit of all metal structures, goals, fences and fields to repair or immediately remove any risky element, and coverage of at least 12 hours a day with an active ambulance or a first-aid room equipped with health professionals.[S2][S4][S5]
The signatories also called for mandatory action guides for all teaching and non-teaching staff in the event of serious accidents, as well as greater surveillance in common and recreational areas and emergency protocols with mandatory training. They mentioned provincial law 15,618, known as the Joaquín law, which establishes requirements for the anchoring and securing of sports goals. So far, the club has not included an official response to the claims.[S4][S5]
Previous cases and the unregulated law
The case recalls that of Joaquín Gatto, a 12-year-old boy from Ramos Mejía who died after being crushed by a soccer goal in Junín de los Andes, Neuquén, in January. The goal measured 7.40 meters long by 2.40 meters high and weighed approximately 160 kilograms; the prosecution said it was not properly anchored to the ground, as it was neither staked nor cemented, and had a slope that left part of the pipes suspended above the surface. The boy suffered extremely serious injuries and died on January 6, 2026.[S1][S3]
Joaquín's case led to the Joaquín law, sanctioned in August by the Buenos Aires provincial Legislature, which seeks to guarantee safety in recreational, play and sports spaces. However, the law was never regulated by Axel Kicillof's administration. There is another recent precedent in the south of Greater Buenos Aires: Benicio Farji, a 9-year-old boy who in October 2025 died crushed by a handball goal that fell on him at the Argentino de Quilmes club.[S1]
