Boy, 5, Died After 8 Feet High Mirror Fell on Him in Department Store, Says Coroner: Reports

An inquest into the death of a 5-year-old boy who was fatally injured after a mirror fell on him at a store in England has taken place.

Freddie Farrow died after suffering a “catastrophic brain injury” when a large mirror toppled onto him at a Fenwick department store in Colchester, Essex, on July 27, 2021, Chelmsford Coroner's Court heard on Monday, Feb. 3., per BBC News, U.K. newspaper The Times, and local outlet Southend Echo.

Essex Police said in a report that Farrow, 5, touched the mirror with “very little force” in the lingerie section of the store before it fell on him, rendering him “unconscious,” according to the outlets. The mirror was 8 feet 6 inches high and nearly 2 feet wide and weighed between 60kg to 80kg, the inquest was told.

The boy was transported to Colchester Hospital before being transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, England, where he died on Aug. 2, 2021, according to reports.

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Surveillance footage from the department store showed Farrow entering the store with his mother and her friend, per BBC News. He then went over to the mirror and touched it while “looking at his reflection” before it fell on him, hitting the “top and back of his head,” said police.

A report written by Detective Inspector Fred Tomkins suspected that the mirror was “near or on its balance point.” He said the mirror had a metal bracket on the back that was attached to a metal bracket on the wall, and that the wooden part of the bracket was in pieces, per Sky News.

“It was my view that this part of the bracket between the two metal brackets had effectively come apart, leaving it freestanding and leaning against the wall,” Tomkins' report read.

Essex Senior Coroner Lincoln Brookes stated that the incident caused “very serious head injuries” that were eventually fatal, per multiple reports.

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Health and safety officer for Colchester City Council, Alison Chapman, reported in 2021 that the mirror was installed during a “major refurbishment of the store” in 2015-16 and that it had a manufacturer’s guarantee for five years, U.K. newspaper The Independent reported.

However, the mirror would've been exposed to "wear and tear" from customers and cleaning.

Farrow’s mother, Natasha Ingham, described him at the inquest as “funny and clever” and “a ray of sunshine.”

The inquest is set to continue for four to five days, according to reports.

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PEOPLE has reached out to the Essex Police for further comment.

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