Shop sign which fell 20ft onto a baby's pram in Newport caused by manufacturing fault, investigations reveal
A manufacturing fault caused a shop sign to fall 20 feet from a shop onto a baby's pram last year investigators have revealed.
The baby was lucky to have escaped serious injury when the sign fell from an opticians in Newport onto his pram.
An ambulance initially responded and was backed up by the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford with the MERIT Trauma Doctor on board.
The 10-month-old child was taken to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford after the fall but suffered minor injuries only.
Murray MacGregor, West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman, said at the time that the pram had taken most of the weight of the one metre square sign.
Police and forensic investigation vans were sent to the scene shortly after the incident.
An investigation was launched shortly afterwards by Telford & Wrekin Council, with the Health and Safety Executive.
The investigation found that the sign fell because of a manufacturing fault, and no formal action was taken.
Chris Kowalik, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "An investigation found this to be a manufacturing fault.
"Telford & Wrekin Council in conjunction with the Health & Safety Executive decided, as this was the only sign the company had produced of this type of construction, that we would visit the company and educate on wooden-framed sign construction rather than take any formal action."
Councillors in Newport called for safety checks to be carried out along the main shopping street after the incident last year.
Councillor Peter Scott said: "Following the rather sad news that a swing sign has fallen on a child in Newport, I have asked Telford & Wrekin Council that other such signs have a safety check to ensure this kind of thing does not happen again."
