The mother of a baby boy killed when a heavy chest of drawers toppled on top of him is fighting for better rights for tenants who wish to secure furniture to walls.
Standing outside court, where a coronial inquest into the death of the 22-month-old heard a landlord refused to let the boy’s mum bolt furniture to the wall, the Perth mother gave her emotional plea.
“I would fully advocate and work with anyone willing to help change the law to allow parents to bolt that furniture without no ramifications for it,” Skye Quartermaine told reporters.
“A hole in your wall can be fixed, but one in your heart can’t,” she added.
Reef was just 22-months-old when he was killed by a falling chest a drawers after his mum had put him down for a nap.
The Western Australian explains, on 13, October, 2015 Ms Quartermaine had put her son Reef Kite down for his regular nap at 11:30am. She checked on him two hours later and he was sound asleep.
When she returned to check on him again at 2:45pm, she found the 1.25m tallboy had fallen forward and landed on Reef’s chest.
Ms Quartermaine lifted the drawers off her baby boy but he was not breathing. She ran to seek help from her neighbour, who was also her landlord, but he was unsuccessful in his attempts to revive the child. Reef was pronounced dead at Princess Margaret Hospital about an hour later. Forensic pathologists found the cause of death was crush asphyxia.
The heartbroken mum explained to the court that the drawers were not fixed to the wall because her landlord would not permit it after she requested it.
A video (see above), filmed by the police the day after Reef died, was played to the court showing just how easily the piece of furniture, which had drawers on mental runners, toppled over.
Senior Constable Steven Barnes from WA Police said the cabinet of drawers was so heavy, it needed to adults to lift it.
“A young child wouldn’t have a hope,” he added.
The day after Reef’s death, WA police filmed a video demonstrating just how easily the heavy tallboy could topple.
Kidsafe WA Chief Executive Scott Phillips also gave evidence, explaining that on average at least one Australian child a year dies from a furniture-related injury.
Kidsafe, who is celebrating National Kidsafe Day today, is working with consumer protection to prevent property owners and landlords from preventing parents from securing furniture in rental properties.
The coroner will hand down her findings in the coming months.
