2-Year-Old Killed In Freak Accident After Payless Store Mirror Falls On Her

A 2-year-old girl died in a freak accident Friday after a full-length mirror fell on her at a Payless ShoeSource store in Georgia, officials said Sunday. The toddler, identified as Ifrah Siddique, was with her family in the store when the incident took place.

According to local reports, the mirror hit the back of the toddler's head when it fell on her. It reportedly took two people to lift the mirror off of the young girl, who was in a pool of blood. Paramedics found the toddler in a state of traumatic arrest as her heart stopped beating. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead.

"I feel dead like I am no more...that was my little girl," Mohsin Siddique, the girl’s father, told FOX5 on Saturday. The father said the mirror wasn't secure and was held on only one screw.

An employee at the store, identified as Latisha Culpatrick, recalled the tragic day saying there was a sound of a crash and a woman screamed.

“Everybody was crowded around the door. It's just tragic," Culpatrick told the news station. “I'm sure the mom didn’t think when she was coming in to go shopping she wouldn’t come out with her child. That’s bad. Really bad.”

The girl’s cousin, Aqib Iftkhar, told Atlanta ABC-affiliate WSB-TV that the family was in a "state of shock" following the incident as no one expected something like this to happen. He also said the toddler has suffered massive internal bleeding and had lost a lot of blood by the time paramedics arrived.

Talking about his young cousin, Iftkhar told the New York Daily News that the little girl made everyone happy when she was around them.

“Everyone would smile when they saw her,” he told the Daily News. “Everyone enjoyed having her around.”

Payless ShoeSource issued a statement to FOX5 saying the company was “devastated” by the girl’s death.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Ifrah Siddique during this time of incredible loss. We are devastated by this tragic event and are fully cooperating with authorities to research and understand the nature of this accident. Out of respect for the family, no further information will be provided at this time,” the statement read.

The 20-year-old cousin of the toddler also said there wasn't much communication between the family and the store following the freak accident. He said the family wanted Payless to ensure all of their shelves and mirrors are secured in stores nationwide.

“We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Photos of the incident shared by local news broadcasters show what they said was the mirror that fell on the child. The mirror was reportedly intact and placed inside a storage room.

Unknown hazards at shopping centers and distracted parents have resulted in several accidents. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, every year about 24,000 children are injured in incidents involving shopping carts. However, the cases reported were not fatal.