Tragedy at legal office as toddler dies
16 Feb 06
21-month-old boy falls through gap in partition at mother's firm
Shocked staff at Ledingham Chalmers' Edinburgh office were sent home after a receptionist's 21-month-old son died from a fall in the building.
It is understood that the boy's mother, Louise McCreath, who worked part time at the legal firm, had taken her son Ben to the office on Tuesday this week to discuss her future after the firm's proposed merger. As she was leaving the building Ben ran ahead and managed to squeeze through a gap in a glass partition on the mezzanine floor.
He fell 15 feet to the foyer and died later that day in the Sick Children's Hospital from serious head injuries.
The building, a major development in the Tollcross area, was constructed in 1999 and is owned by the Crown Estate but occupied by the Bank of Scotland and financial and legal firms.
The gaps in the partition have been blocked while Edinburgh City Council investigates the incident. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.
The firm closed for the remainder of the day and has offered counselling to its employees.