KEY POINTS

  • Doctors said the force of the blow would have "knocked out a bull"
  • The surgeons have already drained fluid from her brain to reduce pressure
  • The child's father believes the fireplace fell due to crumbling plaster

A 6-year-old girl has ended up in a coma after a marble fireplace in the family's living room fell on top of her. The child suffered serious head injuries, including a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.

The tragic incident happened on the night of Sept. 10 in Liverpool, England, reported Liverpool Echo.

The report identified the victim as Alexa-Leigh Blakemore, who is currently at Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Alexa's parents, Ella and Keiran Blakemore said the child's condition is "touch and go."

"I was lying on the couch feeding our 5-week-old baby and her mum was in the bath. Alexa-Leigh was doing her thing like she normally does, running around and playing like the happy little girl she is. I was concentrating on feeding my baby but I could see her out of the corner of my eye," Keiran told Liverpool Echo.

He said he heard a sudden crash and saw the fireplace crashing on top of the child. There was also a lot of blood.

"This fireplace is like a concrete and marble thing and to move it I would have to walk it across the floor, but when it happened I have never lifted anything so quick, I moved it like it was a piece of paper," Keiran recalled.

"Within 10 seconds I was shouting in the street for help, and the ambulance came within two and a half minutes," he told the outlet.

The child sustained fractures in her skull, eye socket, wrist and serious bleeding in the brain. According to the doctors, the force of the blow would have "knocked out a bull."

The surgeons at the hospital have already drained fluid from her brain to reduce pressure. Alexa-Leigh remains in a medically induced coma.

"We can go into the ward and sit by her as much as we want but it is horrible seeing her like that, with tubes going into her," Keiran said.

The family has started a GoFundMe crowdfunding page to raise money to help with medical costs and to move to a safe accommodation when Alexa-Leigh leaves the hospital.

Keiran believes the fireplace fell due to crumbling plaster. The family rents the house from a private landlord and said they had been demanding repairs for some time. After the incident, the family wants others to ensure their heavy fireplaces are safe.

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