A 5-year-old girl was severely shocked after touching a metal pole in a shopping mall in Beijing, The Independent reports.
The tragedy took place on June 1 at Beijing Parkview Green shopping mall in Chaoyang district. When the child, named Qiqi, grabbed the metal pole with both hands, she suddenly started convulsing and fell to the ground.
Image via The Beijing News
“At first I thought she was merely playing with me,” the little girl’s mom recalled. “A few seconds later I realized that something was wrong.” Worried about her daughter’s condition, she quickly took the child to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, the girl survived and only suffered electric burns.
In addition to minor injuries, the girl has also experienced enormous mental distress. “She couldn’t fall asleep until midnight,” described her mom. “She even had a fever three times in one week for no reason.”
When Qiqi’s mom confronted with the mall about the accident, the staff insisted that there were no safety risks at all and even provided an inspection report to prove their statement. However, further examination showed that the mall had no grounding protection, which was the main cause of Qiqi’s electrocution.
Qiqi’s mom demanded a compensation of RMB30,000 (USD4,367). However, the request was refused by the mall. “Our contractor should take all the blame,” the deputy manager of the mall said.
Disappointed by the attitude of the mall, Qiqi’s mom said she will go to court to sort it out. “It’s not just about my girl,” she said. “I hope other parents will take this seriously and beware of potential safety risks.”
[Cover image via The Beijing News]
