Bristol mum tells of baby injured in Harvey Nichols glass door accident
A Bristol mother has told how her seven-month-old baby was injured when a glass door shattered at the Harvey Nichols store in Cabot Circus yesterday.
His mother was leaving the department store and had pushed the 8ft door when a pane fell out of the frame and smashed on top of her sleeping son, cutting his face and head in a number of places.
The worst cut was close to his right eye.
His 19-year-old mum, who asked not to be named, also suffered cuts to her hand.
Mother and baby, from Bishopsworth, were taken by ambulance to Bristol Children's Hospital for treatment.
The mum, who went to Cabot Circus with her best friend, said: "It was our first visit to Harvey Nichols. We thought it would be a nice day out. We had been round part of the store and decided to go out.
"The door was half open. I pushed it once and couldn't open it further. I manoeuvred the pram as much as I could and pushed the door again and it smashed.
"My first reaction was 'oh my God, the baby'. I didn't realise my fingers were cut – all my attention was on the baby.
"Blood was pouring down his face. He was screaming and I was crying. A man was there. He got hold of my hand and put pressure on it."
The mother, her baby and friend were taken upstairs into a staff room to await the ambulance.
Staff contacted her mother-in-law, Carol Toogood, who drove from her home in Felton, near Bristol International Airport, to the store and then the hospital.
Mrs Toogood said: "When staff from Harvey Nichols rang me I could hear the baby in the background screaming.
"They said my grandson had been injured and that it was not serious, but they didn't tell me what had happened. I got to Bristol as fast as I could, but when I got to Harvey Nichols my grandson and daughter-in-law had been taken to hospital.
"He has a nasty cut by his eye and lots of other little cuts. There was so much glass in the pram."
The accident happened on the second day of trading at the flagship store, which opened to shoppers as part of the £500-million Cabot Circus shopping centre on Thursday.
Omar Ali, 23, a security guard at the nearby Hugo Boss store, watched the drama unfold.
He said: "The glass shattered everywhere and everyone gathered around the entrance. Someone shook the baby's blanket to get all the glass off. The ambulance was here straight away and the baby was taken away.
"I was told by another security guard that the baby had glass on its cheek and near its eyes. It's really shocking. I can't believe this has happened on the day after opening."
Another woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I just heard a crash and then a scream. Security guards came rushing over to stop people getting into the store. One of the shoppers was a doctor and she came over to help the baby."
A crowd of people gathered around the entrance to the store in Philadelphia Street following the accident, but staff directed customers to the shop's other entrance in Penn Street.
Harvey Nichols spokeswoman Joanna Jefferies said CCTV footage would be viewed to work out exactly how the accident happened.
She said: "We are investigating how it happened and we want to make sure it never happens again.
"The mother and baby were treated very quickly and the ambulance was on the scene very quickly."
The Health and Safety Executive is now investigating the incident.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: "The door was sealed off and the store was closed for a short while for checks of the other doors for safety reasons."
36 Comments
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by karen, bristol
Tuesday, September 30 2008, 10:04PM
“i know i am going off the subject (nothing to do with this story) ,but,am i the only person who notices when a parent pushes a pram/buggy off the path into the road to stop the traffic?they are still holding on to it but the whole lot is actually sat in the road.it has happened to me a few times now and i must say it really shakes me up!”
by Busybee552, Bristol.
Tuesday, September 30 2008, 9:15PM
“When my children occupied a pushchair I never thought to use them to push open a door, I always used my back unless there was a kind person to hold the door open for me. Both my children are now in their 20's and I still get shocked when I see mothers, of all ages, push buggies and even prams out front of them regardless of what is front. Also it seems strange, as others have pointed out, that the mother wants to remain nameless, yet is quite happy to have her son and mother named.
Sue for what ever is coming to Britain!”
by karen, bristol
Tuesday, September 30 2008, 7:50AM
“michelle,take a chill pill love.
where in my post did i personally attack you for being a single mother at 18.
no i would not think about smashing glass doors by ramming a buggy into it.
since the baby was in the buggy while see was forcing a jammed door open with it,i do not think she was thinking about the baby.actually as i would of gone out backwards opening the door with my body.”
by Anne, Bristol
Monday, September 29 2008, 8:04PM
“Not saying the mother is "totally" to blame, but if she pushed hard on a glass door that was obviously stuck causing it to shatter (whatever) then she must take "a portion" of the blame. If it was difficult to open she could easily have called one of the security staff or stewards that were around, as the place was infested with them, trying to be helpful to attract new customers. Anyway the result was the the child was relatively unscathed, and "may" have had more cuts and scratches if he stayed at home and played in the house or the park. When I were a kid I used to be proud of having lots of plasters over me' arms 'n legs ... Oh those were the days.”
by Sara, BRISTOL
Monday, September 29 2008, 7:18PM
“Once again the young mother gets the blame. I think these people should stop judging people by there ages. I am a 28 year old mother of three and am expecting my fourth child. We work hard to provide and have a decent home. I was once that age with a baby. I have pushed many doors with buggy wheels in various places and none of those have smashed. As for Anne saying she would not push doors like that in her own home, have you actually tried moving in busy areas with a buggy, especially with all the arrogant and rude people who make it so much more difficult? Probably not. Leave this poor young girl alone, at least she cares for her child and had her baby with her!”
by Vicenmoo, Sadly Broke
Monday, September 29 2008, 6:39PM
“Well if the glass shattered then surely someone or something had to have knocked it? Whether this being the over-enthusiastic mother trying to ram raid her way out of the store with her hands or the little (huge monster truck of a) baby buggy, sure the CCTV will tell all. Oh well. Back to working for insurance where people seem to think they can claim for minor stuff. If the child suffered an eye injury then fair enough, providing the mother was not liable for the accident, however the child suffered cuts to the face. Big deal. I ripped my cheek open while climbing on fences at infant school. Did my mother sue the school? No. I got a wet tissue and a plaster. Get on with your life, be greatful that nothing worse happened and if in doubt, don't go there again. Oh and by the way, some peoples spelling on here is awful! (had to point it out!)”
by laura, bristol
Monday, September 29 2008, 4:40PM
“and while im at it u would of fault that a 8ft glass door being entered by thousands of people each day wouldnt be able 2 shatter into thousands of tiny pieces im sure these days u can buy special glass 4 this purpose”
by Steven, Bristol
Monday, September 29 2008, 1:55PM
“According to the BBC website, the unknown woman (who strangely doesn't mind her mother-in-law's nor her baby's names being plastered all over the local media, but not her own), is seeking compensation for the minor abrasions her little darling suffered.
Considering that compensation is there to, er, compensate for the loss of something (salary, limb, eyesight etc) then a couple of minor cuts should not be considered suitable for compensation.
Hopefully whichever solicitor she sees will tell her this and, if she does insist on wasting everyone's time, hopefully neither the department store nor the precint owners will settle out of court. Let her go the full distance and claim costs off of her.”
by JoJo, Bristol
Monday, September 29 2008, 11:37AM
“There maybe 2 JoJo's on line today but I'm the real JoJo - the other one is an imposter.”
by JoJo, Bristol
Monday, September 29 2008, 11:22AM
“Can I just say there are 2 JoJo's online again today . .hello JoJo *2”