Toddler, 2, crushed to death by ‘dangerous’ fireplace
A two-year-old boy has been tragically crushed to death by a badly-fitted fireplace that collapsed on top of him.
Bram Radcliffe was sitting on the couch watching cartoons while his mother Amy Johnson left the room for about a minute on November 8, 2017.
The mother heard a “loud bang” and rushed back to find the two-year-old boy lifeless on the floor of her home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
Pieces of the broken 60kg fireplace were scattered around and on to of the little boy’s body, The Metro reported.
The toddler was rushed to the hospital and declared dead from severe head injuries the same morning.
Witnesses said Ms Johnson was “in a state of shock” immediately after the incident.
Dodgy fireplace was installed by ‘cowboy’
Coroner Martin Fleming described the fireplace installation as “sub-standard and dangerous”.
“I can only suggest that it was installed either by a cowboy or a cowboy firm, or a DIY enthusiast,” he said.
The inquest heard the fireplace was decorated with a marble-style surround, kept in place by four brackets glued to the fixture, then screwed into plasterboard.
Expert David Richardson, of the Stone Federation of Great Britain, told the court the installation was dangerous, unlikely to have been done by a professional, and described it as a text book example of “how not to do it”.
The Coroner said he would be writing to the relevant health and safety authorities about dodgy fireplace installations, in a bid to prevent other tragedies from occurring.
“The message has to go out to the general public, up and down the land there are people in homes with heavy duty fireplaces which are potentially dangerous hazards,” he said.
“This shows it’s a case of having them checked out or having an assurance it has been fitted by professionals.
“[Bram] is badly grieved by his mother, father, uncle and grandparents. They have all been left bereft and devastated. Goodness knows what the family are going through at this time.”
