A four-year-old girl narrowly escaped death during a family photo session at a photo studio in Almaty when an 80-kilogram mirror fell on her, as reported by Tengrinews.kz referencing Almaty.tv.
The incident occurred on October 25. The girl sustained deep cuts to her face and eyelids, as well as a concussion. Emergency services were immediately called to the scene.
"She has a concussion, an eye injury, and scars. This all happened in one of the city's photo studios when the family, including two young children and another one-year-old child with their parents, came for a photo session. That’s when the incident occurred," said legal consultant Anna Chernova.
While the girl's father accompanied her to the hospital, the mother returned to the studio to pick up their second daughter. There she was greeted by a man who introduced himself as the owner of the premises. According to the mother of the injured girl, instead of showing understanding and sympathy, the man began blaming the family for what happened and demanded compensation for the broken mirror.
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The owner of the photo studio declined to comment on the incident to reporters from the channel. However, earlier on her social media page, the woman made a statement. The police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
"On the day of the incident, I called the girl's father to offer assistance. The next day, I contacted the child's mother and offered help to cover medical expenses. Initially, the child's mother agreed, but unfortunately, she stopped responding the following day. All the furniture in the photo studio is props, and therefore it is mobile. This shoot was not organized by our photographer," explained the owner of the photo studio, Aminа Rin, in a video.
According to the official representative of the city's police department, Saltanat Azirbek, the Medeu district police department is conducting an investigation to determine the severity of the injuries. A forensic medical examination has been appointed. Based on the findings, a procedural decision will be made.
"We have a law to protect consumer rights. In nearly every article, if you open it, special attention is always paid to the safety of goods or services. It states that consumers have the right to demand safe services and safe goods from entrepreneurs, sellers, and manufacturers, starting from Article 10 up to Article 30," explained lawyer Oleg Chernov from the Almaty City Bar Association.
Human rights advocates believe that those responsible for the incident should be held accountable under the article "Manufacture or sale of goods, performance of work, or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements."
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