A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl died after her dad dropped a television on her head causing “a catastrophic brain injury”, an inquest heard on Monday.
Emily May Hughes died on Christmas Day after the freak accident at her home the day before.
Christmas Eve had been a fun day for the family with them visiting friends and shopping.
They bought a new television set for their Coedpoeth home.
Emily’s father, Robert Hughes, a design engineer, installed the television in the first-floor living room then carried the old “heavy, deep, bulky” widescreen TV downstairs into the children’s play area.
Emily liked to take the Nintendo DS she shared with her siblings to a quiet place to play it alone, Liverpool Coroner’s Court heard.
But unbeknown to her father, as he struggled down the stairs, she was lying on her stomach at the foot of the stairs.
In a report by North Wales Police, officers said Mr Hughes accidentally bumped into her, dropping the television and pinning her head down.
It said: “Mr Hughes stubbed his foot on the child and fell forward with the large television unit.
“He completely lost balance, fell and tried to push the TV away from the child realising she was there but it landed on her head. He immediately got it off her.”
Mr Hughes carried Emily into the kitchen where his wife, Louise Sandra Hughes, described as a youth co-ordinator, phoned for an ambulance.
The couple tried to resuscitate the youngster until paramedics arrived at 6.20pm.
Emily was rushed to Wrexham Maelor Hospital and was transferred to Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital suffering from a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain.
Consultant Dr Jane Ratcliffe said Emily sustained a head fracture and the brain damage stopped her pulse and blood pressure.
She was certified dead at 10.10pm on December 25.
Coroner Andre Rebello recorded a verdict of accidental death at the inquest.
Mr Rebello said: “This was a tragic accident and this will always be a difficult time in the future with every Christmas.
“It is every parent’s worst nightmare for their child’s funeral to take place before their own. I hope the family can recover from this tragedy and celebrate the joy of Emily’s life.”
