She needed a new pair of shoes. So on a Friday night in March, 2-year-old Ifran Siddique went into a Riverdale Payless ShoeSource with her mother, aunt and brother.
When Ifran left the store, she was bleeding from her nose, ears and mouth and in an ambulance after a full-length mirror in the store fell on her, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Clayton County Superior Court. The mirror struck Ifran in the forehead and crushed her, and she died from her injuries at Southern Regional Hospital.
The shoe store was negligent in allowing the mirror to hang unsecured on a wall and should pay Ifran’s family $200 million, the lawsuit contends. Ifran’s parents, Mohsin Siddique and Nosheen Rafique, are also requesting a jury trial.
“Despite knowledge of the risk of danger to members of the public posed by the unsecured full-length mirror, defendant chose not to take any reasonable measures for the security and protection of persons,” the lawsuit states.
In the days after the toddler’s death, the store’s corporate office released a statement offering condolences to the family but did not address why the mirror was not properly hung.
“We are devastated by this tragic event and are fully cooperating with authorities to research and understand the nature of this accident,” the company previously said in the statement. “Out of respect for the family, no further information will be provided at this time.”
The lawsuit contends that Ifran’s family members were also injured and have suffered emotional pain. A portion of the damages are requested to cover medical costs for the family.
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