Boy dies after swinging on rails in supermarket

[SomeGuy]

Sad story, but slightly odd response by the parents:

uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090923/tuk-boy-four-dies-in-somerfield-supermar-45dbed5.html

"A four-year-old boy has died after falling and bumping his head in a Somerfield supermarket.

Harry Blackmore was swinging on a small steel rail when he fell in the store in Liverpool.

His devastated mother was shopping just yards away when the tragedy happened.

The distraught parents, who have four daughters, are now suing the supermarket giant for negligence.

They told how Harry was knocked unconscious after banging his head on the floor of the store in Park Road, Toxteth.

The family said they were "so protective" over their son who was growing into a "proper little boy".

Family solicitor Rex Makin told Sky News the family was taking legal action against Somerfield.

He said: "This is a working class neighbourhood with lots of children. We say that parents should be able to go shopping with their children in a safe environment.

"We say that the railing should not have been there or should not have been in that state."
"

Surely there are railings almost everywhere, and if you fall while swinging on one and land on your head then death is fairly likely?

[Hulababy]

I can't see that they are going to get anywhere suing. I would be pretty suspcious of a solictior who took on this kind of claim too - wonder how much he gets paid!?!

This is a very sad tragic accident. Horrendous for the family and friends, truely.

But an accident it was.

[alwayslookingforanswers]

I'm sure there was a thread about this yesterday - at least I thought there was, I thihk I may even have posted on it but can't find it

[LuluMamaaaaarrrrr]

is the picture in the article of the railings in question?

i am terribly sorry for the family and the tragic loss of their son, it must be devastating

however, there are these sorts of railings everwhere, children do swing/stand/balance on things all the time.. sometimes they will fall, most of the time they'll be ok. rareyl, a child will die and that is a tragedy

don't see what the fact it is a working class neighbourhood has to do with anything and those sorts of railings are totally commonplace, so i don;t think on the face of it there was any negligence

lawyer IMO, osunds like a bit of an ambulance chaser

[SomeGuy]

ah yes, other thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/830586-to-think-that-this-is-not-the-supermarkets-fault

AIBU to post this in 'In the News'?

[LuluMamaaaaarrrrr]

i think this is fine to discuss in the news topic.

general feeling seems to be on the ohter thread that this was a tragic accident, not anyone's fault

[alwayslookingforanswers]

oh thank god for that - I thought I'd imagined both the thread and posting on it.

[backtoworkthistime]

I read this and presumed the rail was broken or damaged in some way causing him to fall.

Maybe the child used to do this on railings in a park with safety matting underneath and thought it was the same?

[SomeGuy]

I think it's fairly common for children to swing on railings, safety matting or not.

There's nothing to suggest here that the railing was faulty

[LadyoftheBathtub]

Any bang on the head can be fatal - like with poor Natasha Richardson who only fell over. It's rare, but it can happen if it's a bad angle or sets off a pre-existing weak blood vessel etc. That's why you're supposed to monitor anyone closely after a knock to the head.

I can't imagine the supermarket could possibly be successfully sued given that there are railings everywhere, not to mention climbing frames designed for children that are much higher! Even a supermarket trolley carries a similar risk if a child falls out of it.

[CarGirl]

In that last link it says they are suing "over the way the fall was handled" perhaps they didn't call an ambulance/get a first aider/treat it as a head injury etc which led to a delay in treatment?