The manager of a Hugo Boss shop where a large mirror fell on to a four-year old, leaving him with “irreversible brain injuries” has told an inquest he carried out regular safety checks. Jurors at the inquest heard that the free-standing mirror should have been wall-mounted.
Austen Harrison from Turners Hill in Crawley, West Sussex was with his parents when the incident happened at the shop in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in June 2013. He had been playing when a free standing mirror fell on him while his father tried on suits. He suffered ‘devastating’ head injuries and had emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. His life support machine was turned off four days later.
Manager Andrew Morgan told jurors at Oxford Coroner’s Court he checked fixtures daily but refused to say if he documented inspections.
Mr Morgan told the court the mirror had been installed by a team of professional shop-fitters rather than staff.
“We were working on the basis that the mirror was attached to the wall, that it was done on a professional basis and that there was no reason to doubt it,” he said.
He said there had been no reports of any concerns from customers.
The inquest continues.
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