Elante festive lights come crashing down on 4-yr-old

Christmas cheer turned into horror for the parents of a four-year-old girl when around 20 festive lights put up at Elante Mall came crashing down on her this afternoon.

A major tragedy was averted as the girl escaped with a minor injury to the forehead.

This is the third mishap to have taken place at Elante this year. Three months ago, a woman and her niece had suffered injuries when a large granite slab came off a pillar and fell on them. An 11-year-old had lost his life after a toy train overturned mid-tour in the mall courtyard in June.

In today’s incident, Navneet Thakur, a resident of Sector 50, visited the mall with his wife and four- year-old daughter, Avni, to celebrate Christmas. The family purchased tickets for the make-shift “Winter Wonderland”, set up in the mall’s courtyard.

According to Thakur, there was a designated dance floor for children. The area was adorned with hanging lights, some of which suddenly fell and hit Avni on the forehead.

Police were informed about the mishap and the injured girl was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32 for treatment.

“The doctors advised a CT scan for Avni, but we chose not to proceed with it due to her young age,” Thakur said.

The father expressed dissatisfaction with the behavior of the mall’s management, alleging that they failed to provide any support or medical assistance at the spot.

He further highlighted a disclaimer on the event tickets, which stated that participation to the “Winter Wonderland” was at the attendee’s own risk and that the organisers were not liable for any injuries. “It’s very concerning as several children were playing in the same area minutes before the mishap and could have been seriously injured,” he added.

Police said that the parents have not file any complaint.

Thakur cited the prolonged legal process as reason for choosing not to press charges.

The Elante management didn’t give any statement regarding the incident.