The incident occurred on 18 August last year at one of the catering and hotel facilities in Zgorzelec, where a wedding reception was being held. Among those attending the celebration was the newlyweds’ two-year-old daughter. A babysitter had been hired to look after the child.
The girl was playing outside the building, where there was, among other things, a children’s slide. At one point, the two-year-old stepped on the cover of a drainage-system inspection chamber. The cover shifted and the victim fell inside.
Thanks to the quick response of both the wedding guests and other people who happened to be on the property and had climbing equipment with them, the child was pulled out.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the form of abrasions.
The investigation conducted by the prosecutor’s office showed that the drainage system located outside the building had been constructed improperly. At the time of the incident, the access hatch to the inspection chamber was not properly seated, and the cover was not secured to the system’s structure.
Investigators:
The property owner, who under the Building Law was obliged to ensure the proper technical condition of the property, was charged with exposing the minor victim to the immediate danger of loss of life or serious damage to health, causing her minor bodily injuries, and failing to ensure the proper safety of the building by allowing the property’s drainage system to be constructed contrary to building standards and by failing to secure the inspection chamber.
Elżbieta L. pleaded not guilty. She now faces up to three years in prison.
