16/02/2006

Toddler dies in fall from office building

A mother has seen her young son fall to his death from the office building in Edinburgh where she works.

Toddler Ben McCreath fell 15ft to his death on Tuesday morning after crawling through a gap in a glass partition in the Princes Exchange building in the city’s business district.

Louise McCreath, 29, had taken her 21-month-old son to the office in Earl Gray Street where she worked as a receptionist at the law firm Ledingham Chalmers, on the building’s first floor. It is understood that she went to the office to attend a meeting about her future at the company, in light of a merger.

As she left the office, it is believed that her son ran ahead of her and slipped through a gap on the mezzanine floor, falling to the foyer below. He was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children with serious head injuries, but died that afternoon.

The gaps in the glass partition have been blocked off while an investigation is carried out by Edinburgh City Council.

Senior partner at Ledingham Chalmers, David Laing said: "The authorities are undertaking a formal accident investigation and we cannot comment further on the details of the incident.

"Everyone here is shocked and saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague and her husband."

(CL)

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