A nine-year-old boy had to undergo brain surgery after he hit his head while having a kickabout.
Cole Ramsay was playing football with his brothers Connor, 12, and Reece, 13, when he fell over.
The Letham Primary School pupil fractured his skull and developed a blood clot on his brain.
Stepmum Catriona Mills, 30, who looks after Cole with dad Ryan Ramsay, said: “We are all still in shock. I’m just glad he’s home.
“Connor told us about the noise Cole made when he fell — it wasn’t his normal scream.
“They just knew something wasn’t right. Connor and Reece acted very responsibly — they sat him on a bench after he fell.”
The youngster’s family took him to Perth Royal Infirmary after his brothers raised the alarm.
Catriona, a customer sales advisor, said: “The staff gave him a quick look over.
“They did a couple of tests — they asked him to touch his nose, that sort of thing. Then he was sent home.”
Overnight, Cole’s condition worsened and the youngster was “vomiting violently” into the early hours.
The family said they took him back to PRI and insisted he was given another examination.
Catriona said staff then told them to take Cole to the paediatric unit at Ninewells Hospital – but said they were not offered an ambulance.
The family have slammed the treatment Cole received as an “absolute joke”.
Catriona said: “We weren’t offered transport — if we hadn’t had our own car it would have been a £50 taxi.
“If we had had an accident Cole wouldn’t be here. If it wasn’t for Ninewells, I’m sure we would have found Cole dead in his bed.”
Cole was immediately admitted to Ninewells and kept under close observation overnight.
He underwent surgery to remove the clot the next day.
Catriona said: “The doctors wanted to send him to Edinburgh but there wasn’t enough time.
“The neurosurgeons came up from Edinburgh just for him.”
Cole’s mum Haylee McDonald, 28, a student from Craigie, said: “His brothers were both so upset. They didn’t realise what was wrong at first.
“They know they did the right thing. I think they were worried when they realised how serious it was.
“We cannot thank Ninewells enough — the neurosurgeons are some of the kindest people I have ever known.”
But Haylee said she was shocked that action wasn’t taken quicker by staff at PRI, especially as a large bump developed and moved to Cole’s face.
She said: “I understand what the staff said, that kids fall and bump their heads all the time.
“But after the second visit to PRI they should have realised there was a problem right away.
“The clot was slowly putting pressure on his brain.
“He was able to get out of his bed and play with his football cards.
“But you could tell that something was not right – his face was a weird shape.”
Catriona added: “The main point is that lump started on the top of his head and by the Saturday night it was visible on the side of his face.
“We were told that was normal.”
The family are demanding an apology from the hospital and are in the process of preparing an official complaint.
Meanwhile, Ryan has said the “very, very scary experience” has put him off using PRI for treatment again.
He said: “They should have given Cole a scan there and then. It doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened.”
An NHS Tayside spokeswoman said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.
“We would encourage the family to contact our complaints and advice team so we can address their concerns.”