Five-year-old electrocuted after touching decorative metal pole at Beijing mall

Beijing – A little girl who was playing at a shopping mall with her mother got an electric shock after touching a decorative metal pole.

While strolling through a walkway at the Beijing Parkview Green shopping mall on June 1, the five-year-old girl was going through some decorative installations with her mother close by taking some pictures.

Upon reaching a particular metal pole, the little girl could not let go of the pole and started shaking profusely.

After a few seconds, the little girl collapsed to the floor and started to cry.

The mother, identified as Shi, told The Beijing News that she initially thought her daughter was pulling a prank.

“I thought she was playing a fool when she was lying on the floor,” said Shi. “After a few seconds, I realised she got electrocuted.

To her horror, her daughter’s lips turned purple and her fingernails black. Shi recalled the smell of rust in the air after the incident.

The little girl, rushed immediately to the hospital, did not suffer from any internal injuries although there were some slight abnormalities in her electrocardiogram.

Doctors advised Shi to monitor and observe her child at home and to come back if she finds anything unusual.

Mall response

But the girl did not get any feedback from the mall two weeks after the incident.

On June 17 (Monday), Beijing Parkview Green issued a statement confirming the accident saying it resulted from a contractor’s negligence for not following specific requirements.

The mall says it dealt with the contractor and would take responsibility for the incident.

According to a mall representative, the walkway had passed electrical inspection in May, but it was only after the accident did they realise that the installation was missing a grounding wire.

Without a grounding wire, an electrical malfunction or short circuit would cause a mechanism to emit electrical shocks to bystanders instead of sending the current to the ground.

Shi demanded a copy of the inspection report and 30,000 yuan (S$5,900) in compensation; however, the mall did not agree to her terms.

She is preparing to take the case to court.

“Is the report falsified or is the mall trying to mislead us and bury this safety risk? Not only do I want an explanation for my daughter, I want people to be more aware of incidents like this,” said Shi.

Watch a video of the incident on YouTube.