A family has been awarded damages after a two-year-old boy drank 'deadly' drain cleaner in a supermarket. Ayman Faisal opened the bottle while his mother turned to pick something up at SAFA Superstore in Moss Side, Manchester, in January 2013.
The now seven-year-old suffered severe burns to his mouth, airway, oesophagus and stomach. He is now unable to breathe without a tracheostomy, cannot speak and needs a feeding tube in his stomach.
The manufacturer, Active Brands Concept Ltd, admitted the child-resistant cap was faulty. A judge ruled the bottle should have been stored on a higher shelf, and the shop was partly responsible. The shop also did not have the correct licence to sell the product, which contained caustic soda.
Active Brands Concept Ltd will pay two thirds of the damages and the shop will pay the rest. The final settlement will not be reached until the long-term effects of Ayman's condition are known. The shop and manufacturer have agreed to fund a trip to Cincinnati Children's Hospital in the USA to see if further treatment is available.
Alicia Rendell, from solicitors firm Slater and Gordon, said it had been a 'long road' for the family. 'These types of products are deadly and those who manufacture and sell them need to take seriously their duty of care,' she said.
