Death of boy, 3, crushed by falling fireplace was an ‘accident waiting to happen’

THE death of a three-year-old boy who was crushed by a falling fireplace was "an accident waiting to happen", an inquest has heard.

Little Jack Miles died on impact after the heavy 8 stone 6 marble fireplace surround crushed him while he was playing with his little sister Alexia.

Jack's mother Andrea Moore, 27, had agreed to babysit at her friend Emma Burness' house on Hendon Road, Gateshead, while she picked up her two eldest children from school on February 22 this year.

After Ms Burness had returned, at around 3.30pm, Jack started to play by the fireplace.

South Tyneside Coroners court heard how the tot had been stood on his tiptoes when the marble crumbled from the wall.

Coroner Terence Carney refused to read out the "graphic, gruesome and grotesque" details of the medical report, as it would "unnecessarily distress the members of his family", however concluded that Jack died of fatal crush injuries to the head.

He said: "Jack was taken to the Queen Elizabeth hospital where they carried out tests but was sadly pronounced dead.

"However after a re-examination by a child expert pathologist, he found that the injuries were irrecoverable and that the head injuries were so severe that nothing would have been able to do to save him.

"Because of how bad the injuries were, we can be sure that death would be instantaneous.

"I hope you will be able to take a slight comfort in knowing that this means that Jack will not have suffered at all.

"He would have not felt any pain at all."

Giving evidence, Detective Sergeant Kimberley Flynn of Northumbria Police said: "A number of PCs did arrive at the scene in uniform shortly followed by non-uniformed detectives.

"There were five young children all under the age of nine that had been in the house at the time of the incident.

"We were aided in our investigation by the CID and scientific aid, as well as by the council and health and safety officers.

";They concluded that the fireplace was basically leaning up against a false wall, which was not enough to take the weight of the heavy fire place.

";It was just ply wood, it was not adequate to take such a weight.

"It was not fixed to anything that could have taken the weight at all."

The coroner read out a statement from Health and Safety Executive Ian Whitfield, which explained that the marble, which was 25cm thick, was meant to be secured by four brass fix plate screws.

However, on later inspection Mr Whitfield only found one of the screws and three holes in the thin laminate plywood where the other ones should have been.

After a thorough search of the house, the screws still could not be found.

The court heard how the tenant before Ms Burness had taken the fireplace from the wall to redecorate the house and had fixed it back when some wallpapering was complete.

The Coroner added: "This was an accident waiting to happen, because of the inadequate construction.

"However I am optimistic in saying that the construction was not done like that to deliberately cause harm - even though it was not sufficiently thought through.

"I do not think anyone did this to trap someone - however it was inevitable that there was a potential risk here.

"This was an inadvertent accident, so I am ruling this death as accidental."

Speaking after the tragedy Jack's mum Andrea said: "I tried to catch the fireplace but I couldn't get it there in time.

"It almost hit Alexia as well, but luckily it had just missed her and tore her coat.

"I nearly lost two of my children that day.

"The marble was really heavy, but the adrenaline gave me the strength to lift it off of Jack.

"I tried to pick him up but as soon as I felt the back of his head I realised how much blood he was losing, I looked down at my hands and they were covered."

Andrea, who is also mum to Leon, seven, and Ellie, five, said that she would never blame her friend for her fireplace falling down.

She added: "It is not Emma's fault and I don't blame her at all. She could never have known that something like this would happen.

"Two of her four kids were in the room as well and they have been scarred by seeing it all.

"They have nightmares and can't get it out of their heads."

She said: "I want to warn parents to check heavy household items are secured to the walls. This must never happen to another child.

"I can't believe my cheeky little boy is gone, there is not a minute of the day that passes when I don't think about him."

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