Alexys Brown, 11, was killed when her head got stuck in a hole in the broken perspex door panel of the disabled lift in her home
A grieving mother today described how her five-year-old daughter was killed when her head became trapped in the door of a faulty lift at their family home.
Alexys Brown had been a ‘guardian angel’ to her disabled brother, 11, and got in the lift to fetch his mobile phone from upstairs.
But the youngster got her head stuck in a hole in the broken perspex door panel of the faulty lift which activated, causing her to become trapped against it and the ceiling.
Her distraught grandmother was unable to operate the lift to free her and called 999.
But Alexys couldn’t be saved and she died at the scene from head and neck injuries.
Alexys’ mother, Lorraine Brown, today told a court how her son Jack, then aged 11, has been left traumatised and wracked with guilt after watching his little sister die at their home in Weymouth, Dorset.
Mrs Brown gave a moving statement at the sentencing hearing of two companies which have been prosecuted for health and safety breaches over a ‘catalogue of failures’ involving the lift.
Alexys and Jack were at home with their grandmother, Sheila Green, on August 13, 2015, when he asked his sibling to get his phone from upstairs, a court heard.
The five-year-old decided to go upstairs in the lift which had been installed at their home for Jack, who has a neuro-degenerative disease.
Mrs Green was sewing in another room when she heard Jack ‘hysterically screaming’.
Mrs Brown, 33, told Bournemouth Crown Court her other children had been left ‘broken’ by the devastation caused by Alexys’ death.
Alexys’ mother, Lorraine Brown, (pictured with Matthew Brown outside Bournemouth Crown Court today) told a court how her son Jack has been left traumatised and wracked with guilt after watching his sister die
She said: ‘The heartache and emotion they have had to face of losing their sister and best friend and the circumstances of her death make it impossible.
‘My son Jack had to witness something people wouldn’t even be able to have nightmares about.
‘He is receiving treatment for PTSD, he doesn’t sleep or eat. He carries a huge amount of guilt he just cannot let go of. What he witnessed we can only imagine.
‘We believed Alexys was sent to us for a reason at a time when we were given a horrible diagnosis with Jack.
‘Alexys’ arrival gave Jack something to look forward to. She was and is his guardian angel. She gave him a reason to fight, to be, to live and that reason has gone, along with his fight.
‘Our life is never sleeping due to thousands of what ifs and why didn’t Is. The silence is deafening, every day getting worse. As time goes by we just miss her more.
‘We should have been able to protect her and that was taken away from us. It’s just heartbreaking.’
The family had moved into the three-bedroom house in November 2009 and said there had always been problems with the lift.
Alexys decided to go upstairs in the lift which had been installed at their home for Jack, who has a neuro-degenerative disease, when he asked her to fetch his phone
An inspection on it was carried out by an engineer three months before Alexys was killed, which identified there was damage to the door, but nothing was done to fix it.
There was no key provided, which would have allowed the parents to prevent the lift being used unsupervised, a court heard.
There was also no emergency handle to allow them to manually raise or lower the lift if needed.
The lift should have been serviced every six months but had not had a thorough inspection since January 2012 after an error led the insurance company to believe the lift had been removed.
Sara Lawson, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, said: ‘The catalogue of failures and lack of checks made by these companies led to Alexys’ death.
‘The injuries suffered were horrific.
‘The lift was in an unsatisfactory condition at the time it was in use. If either the hole had not been present or there had been adequate control of the key switch at the time this incident would not have occurred.
‘The systems in place were not rigorous enough and problems with the emergency lowering system had existed since the start of the Brown family’s tenancy and had not been addressed.’
Mrs Brown said: ‘Knowing it could have been prevented turns my upset to anger. Someone failed our family and needs to take responsibility.
‘The world kept moving and ours just stood still. The hurt in our hearts will never end.
‘This is our new normal, hopping through puddles of emotions just to get through the day. Losing a child is beyond grief, there are no words.’
Housing association Synergy Housing Limited and lift maintenance firm Orana Limited have admitted charges of failing to discharge their health and safety duty – a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The hearing has now been adjourned until tomorrow.