THE GRIEVING father of a baby girl who died after she was struck by a home-made attic lift which he had built described how the incident happened at an inquest in Dublin yesterday.
Chrizena Johnson of Blackthorn, Swords, Co Dublin, sustained a head injury at her home on July 7th, 2010 when a motor attached to the lift malfunctioned.
The baby girl died at Temple Street hospital the next day. Her father, Johnson Kurian, had built the lift to carry himself up and down to the attic, Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard.
Mr Kurian, who has a background in electronics, had used the lift earlier to get a cleaning product from the attic to clean a car seat.
The inquest heard the hoist of the lift and the motor had been purchased, and that Mr Kurian made a wooden element.
Consulting engineers had described the lift as “ingenious” and said “obviously great thought, time and effort went into it”, the inquest heard. There is no requirement for safety features on domestic lifts in private dwellings, Garda Darragh Hayes said.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said it was a “tragic accident”, and recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said in the interests of public safety he would contact the appropriate standards authority and make the body aware of the circumstances of Chrizena’s death and of the mechanics of the lift.