Death of a two-year-old boy who was killed when fire collapsed on high of him as he danced together with his cousin in household dwelling was unintended, inquest guidelines

The death of a two-year-old boy who was killed when a fireplace collapsed on top of him as he danced in his family home was accidental, an inquest found today. 

Carter Walsh, a two-year-old from Wigan, suffered a head injury in the tragic accident and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His heartbroken mother, Samantha Walsh, 38, previously said of her boy: ‘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.’

Carter’s aunt Natalie Prescott, 35, said the toddler had been having ‘the best day ever’ after he got to meet some horses, with photos showing him gazing up at one of them.

Carter was then driven back to his home in Wigan.

But disaster struck as they were dancing in the living room when the marble fireplace collapsed – after its bottom section ‘snapped’ – and fell on him.

Ms Prescott said: ‘The fireplace, it just collapsed in the middle. It was giving and it’s just collapsed and it’s just come forward. It was a marble fireplace.’

Carter Walsh pictured on September 18, 2024 before his tragic death 

Carter suffered a head injury in the tragic accident and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead

The toddler is pictured with his mother, Samantha

Ms Walsh, a mother of four, learned of the incident moments later when Saskia rang her to say that there had been an accident.

She recalled: ‘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.

‘I rang my mum. She came and picked me up. 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’.’

Ms Walsh said her mother, who is a nurse, had warned her to prepare for the worst after they found out that Carter would not be airlifted to hospital.

Carter was dancing in the living room when the marble fireplace collapsed and fell on him 

His devastated mother described him as ‘the apple of my eye’  

She added: ‘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’.’

Devastated Ms Walsh said when she saw Carter on the ward, he had looked ‘peaceful’ and there were no signs that he had suffered a life-threatening injury.

‘There was no bruising or anything to his face. The cut was covered over. There were no visible injuries,’ she said. 

‘He’s had loads of checks at the hospital. They’ve said he had been healthy [prior to the accident]. Everything was fine.’