Mum’s heartbreaking tribute to boy, 2, killed in freak fire accident
The grief-stricken mother of a two-year-old lad who tragically died in a horrific fireplace mishap at their home has paid an emotional tribute to her ‘best mate’.
Little Carter Walsh was left with a fatal head injury after a marble fireplace toppled onto him while he was bopping around in the living room of his family’s Wigan home on Wednesday (September 18). The child sadly passed away later in hospital.
In her first heart-wrenching statement since the accident, Samantha Walsh, 38, fondly remembered her son as the ‘apple of our eyes’, saying: “He was my best friend.
“He was well-loved, not just by his family but by anybody that met him. He broke the hearts of everybody he met… He was the apple of our eyes.”
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Carter’s auntie, Natalie Prescot, 35, recounted how the tot had enjoyed the ‘best day ever’ with his relatives on that fateful Wednesday. He had been for lunch at a carvery restaurant with her mum, sister and daughter, Saskia Prescott, 16, reports the Manchester Evening News.
(Image: SWNS/Samantha Walsh)
The last snap taken of him showed Carter looking up at a horse in awe. After being brought back home, Saskia spent about 20 minutes playing with him while Samantha was away, shared Natalie.
But then tragedy struck. As they jived in the living room, the marble fireplace gave way its bottom section ‘snapped’ and it crashed down on him.
. As they jived in the living room, the marble fireplace gave way its bottom section ‘snapped’ and it crashed down on himIt was giving and it’s just collapsed and it’s just come forward. It was a marble fireplace.”
(Image: Samantha Walsh / SWNS)
Saskia, along with the property’s landlord who was there fixing a boiler, immediately called an ambulance and attempted to revive Carter. Carter’s mum Samantha got the shocking news shortly after when Saskia phoned her about the mishap.
Recounting the moment she found out about her son’s accident, Samantha revealed: “She was very calm at first and she just said ‘you need to come home, Carter has banged his head’.
“I don’t know if she was doing that to keep me calm. I was waiting for a taxi, and I was on my way home, and then I just kept ringing her.
“And every time I rang her, I could tell it was serious. She started to panic because she knew I was on my way back.
“And when I got there, they were still working on him the ambulance and the police. They let me see him, and then they said ‘right, we need to get him to hospital’.”
(Image: Samantha Walsh / SWNS)
After being told Carter wouldn’t be airlifted, Samantha’s nurse mum braced her for the worst. Samantha continued: “They said ‘we’re going to Wigan [hospital].’ I knew then, there was nothing… because they cancelled the air ambulance.
“My mum is a nurse at the hospital. So she knew as well. So she just said ‘prepare yourself when you get to the hospital.'”
The heartbroken mother described seeing Carter in the ward looking ‘peaceful’. “It was just one head injury”, Samantha added.
“But he just looked so peaceful… There was no bruising or anything to his face.”
A fundraiser in memory of Carter has been set up, urging people to donate to assist his family. So far, it has raised more than £1,300.
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