Boy's stairlift death accidental

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Safety devices on a stairlift failed to work when a young boy fell and became trapped and later died, a coroner said.

Oliver Mapp, of Morecambe, Lancashire, was visiting his great-grandmother in Telford in Shropshire, when his head got stuck under the foot plate.

His grandfather tried to resuscitate him but he died in hospital.

The stairlift was fitted by a relative who had no instructions, the Telford inquest heard. Coroner Michael Gwynne recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said that had the safety devices not failed "we would not be here today" and warned that stairlifts should be fitted properly and not be treated as a toy.

Used garden equipment

He added that it was a "truly awful" inquest to be involved in.

The accident happened as the grandparents and Oliver were getting ready to leave after their visit in January this year.

The boy had been playing on the stairlift with his cousin and brother when he suddenly fell and became trapped between the foot plate and stairwell.

His grandfather, Robert Mapp, called for an ambulance and resorted to using gardening equipment to prize the chair off him.

Paramedics received three emergency calls, the latter warning to expect to be dealing with a young boy in cardiac arrest.

'Regretted ever since'

Oliver was taken to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford but he did not regain consciousness and died shortly afterwards.

A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of death was a head injury caused by a blunt force.

Mr Steven Wood, an engineer and the son-in-law of Oliver's great-grandmother, fitted the stairlift and told the inquest it was second-hand.

He said there had been no problem with it for five years but admitted installing it without any paperwork or instructions, something, he said, he has regretted ever since.

The family is not pursuing any prosecution following Oliver's death, which they described at the time as "deeply traumatic".