Schoolgirl Danisha Fowler, 5, crushed by vandalised railing near Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham
Published: 10:00, 31 May 2013
A little girl suffered horrific injuries when vandalised railings collapsed on top of her.
Danisha Fowler, five, was with her godmother and friends when she was struck by the metal fence as she walked as they walked to McDonald's.
Her leg was broken in two places and she was left with gashes and bruises all over her body after the railing crashed down in an alleyway near her Gillingham home.
The schoolgirl had an operation at Medway Maritime Hospital and was kept in for six days.
Danisha's pregnant mother Kerry Hooper and stepfather Luke Thorne ran from their flat in Hazlemere Drive to the path, known locally as Cinders Way, which runs alongside Woodlands Cemetery.
Ms Hooper, 23, who is expecting her second child, said: "I was in shock, there was blood everywhere.
"Danisha was very brave and was a lot better once the paramedics had given her gas and air. At one point they were going to call out the air ambulance."
Danisha had been out for a treat with her godmother Kayleigh Connolly, 24, who was pushing a friend's baby, Mason, in a buggy at about 5pm on Sunday, May 19.
Also in the party heading for McDonald's were Kayleigh's six-year-old son Tyler and his five-year-old friend Cameron.
When one of the little boys tugged at the railing, it came down - knocking Danisha to the ground.
Carpet fitter Mr Thorne, 25, described the fence as about 7ft high, 5ft wide with rusty sharp spikes.
He said: "If it had hit the baby in the buggy it could have been much worse.
"As it is, Danisha has not been able to go to school and we've had to cancel our holiday to Turkey because she needs to go for regular check-ups."
When the couple returned later to the spot, they discovered the fence had been taped up - but they felt it still looked unsafe.
Ms Hooper said: "Whoever is responsible should either have taken it away or fixed it properly. It's an accident waiting to happen again.
"The last thing we want is what happened to Danisha to happen to another child."
A spokesman for Medway Council, which manages the cemetery, said: "We are very sorry to hear this little girl was injured as a result of this broken fence.
"This fence was recently vandalised because it is used as a shortcut.
"Plans are already in place to replace and improve the fencing along the perimeter of Woodlands Cemetery, and the replacement fence will be more substantial in the hope that an incident like this will not happen again."
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Nicola Jordan