The distraught mother of an 11-year-old girl left brain dead after being electrocuted on a garden tap broke down in front of reporters today and cried: ‘I just want my baby back.’
Denishar Woods, from Beldon, Perth, has been in a coma for six days after 240 volts coursed through her body and fried her organs when she turned her garden tap on Saturday evening.
Doctors took the youngster off life support today and will do so again in a few days’ time to see how she copes. But they predict she will be in a permanent vegetative state if she survives.
Today, her shattered mother said her ‘baby’ has been left so damaged that she will never be the same again.
Holding back her tears with quivering voice, Lacey Harrison said: ‘Denishar suffered a catastrophic brain injury which won’t bring her back to me ever, and once they take the tubes out they’ll see if she can breathe, but that’s all her life represents anymore.’
The distraught mother (pictured, Lacey Harrison) of an 11-year-old girl left brain dead after being electrocuted on a garden tap broke down in front of reporters today and cried: ‘I just want my baby back.’
Today, her devastated mother said her ‘baby’ has been left so damaged that she will never be the same again
Denishar Woods opened her eyes for the first time on Thursday afternoon after spending five days on life support – but she was declared brain dead on Friday morning
The 11-year-old received a horrific electric shock in her yard in front of her mother who also got shocked helping her
Ms Harrison then put her hands over her face and cried: ‘I want my baby back, I want my baby back.’
There was a glimmer of hope for the devastated mother when Denishar opened her eyes on Thursday evening – but doctors declared her brain dead on Friday morning and said she was unlikely to recover.
The tragedy struck last Saturday after Ms Harrison reported a power cut in her state-provided house.
She was told an electrician would be out that evening or the next day but says she was not told to not touch anything.
It is believed the garden tap became live due to a fault in the neutral conductor supplying power to the property.
When Denishar turned the tap, she fell to the ground screaming.
‘The hose has gripped my daughter’s body and just taken her down and fried her,’ Ms Harrison said on Sunday.
Ms Harrison (centre) spoke to reporters today after being told that her daughter was left brain dead
Ms Harrison is comforted as she walked near the hospital where her 11-year-old girl is in a coma
Energy officials said the cause of the electrical shock was likely due to the circuit breaks which effectively caused the electrical current to find another route back to the source, in this case the metal tap
‘I touched my daughter and the current pulled me down onto her. I dropped down on the other side half way under my car.
‘She was on one side frying, I was on the other side frying. I could hear this electrical sound going through my body and a burning.’
Neighbours said they heard a loud bang before emergency services arrived soon after.
Mervin Brown rushed toward the scene after hearing the family scream for help before finding Denishar in a pool of water and her mother .
‘Water was spraying everywhere and I tried to turn off the tap and I got a big shock,’ he told The West Australian.
‘I thought “this can’t be happening” – who would think a tap’s live – and I tried a second and third time but I got another couple of bolts and I couldn’t get near the people.’
Denishar was revived by paramedics but fell unconscious shortly after.
‘It’s not home, it’s evil, I don’t want to be here, it’s traumatising,’ Lacey Harrison told media when she returned to the home. The family have been staying with friends since the incident
Eleven-year-old Perth girl Denishar Woods is fighting for life after receiving an electric shock from a garden tap on Saturday night
She has been in an induced coma in Princess Margaret Hospital’s intensive care unit since. Doctors say she is brain dead and unlikely to recover.
The WA Department of Housing is being investigated to see if it failed provide safe residence.
Lawyers said it faces a potential multi-million dollar claim.
Premier Mark McGowan said it was too early to comment on that prospect.
‘Those sorts of calls will be made in due course,’ Mr McGowan told reporters on Thursday.
‘At the moment, we just want to support the little girl and the family.’
Denishar’s mother said she and her other six children were now scared to touch light switches or metal objects.
Ms, said she had been staying with friends since the tragic accident as she has found it painful to return home.
Housing minister Peter Tinley made the worrying statement that this type of incident could happen again as energy officials checked out the houses circuit breakers and meter box
‘It’s not home, it’s evil, I don’t want to be here, it’s traumatising,’ she told 9News.
‘I should be laying there not her.’
A spokesman for Housing Minister Peter Tinley said Ms Harrison had expressed interest in moving house.
‘The Department has reserved a five-bedroom property for Ms Harrison and her family,’ he said.
‘Ms Harrison has advised she would like to consider the property and the Department will continue to talk to her regarding her options.’
The family was offered short-term motel accommodation, but were instead staying with relatives.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign was launched to help the family.