Rotorua child Kendra Scanlon died when a stove tipped over on her, coroner rules

The report said Kendra and her brother appeared to have climbed onto the open oven door, causing it to tip forward. Both children sustained serious injuries. Kendra was taken to Rotorua Hospital, but doctors were unable to resuscitate her. Her brother was taken to Starship Hospital in a critical condition.

Police and coroner Bates concluded that it was a “tragic accident.”

Kendra lived at home with her mother, father, and three older siblings, ages 5, 4, and 2.

There were also two relatives living in the house. One looked after the children while Kendra's parents worked night shifts, and another stayed temporarily because he worked during school holidays.

Kendra was described as an active child and was known to climb on tables, chairs, pantry shelves and bunk beds.

Her father once caught her opening the oven door to get leftover pizza. None of the children climbed onto the open oven door, the report states.

Kendra's father recalled that she started pushing dining room chairs next to the kitchen bench so she could get food from the bench or the pantry, and her mother said her four-year-old son was also good at climbing on things.

According to the findings, the children had gone to bed at around 8:30 p.m. the previous evening.

Kendra and her sister slept in their parents' bed and their father later moved them to their own beds.

The younger relative came home at 9 p.m. and noticed the pot of used oil on the back of the stove.

The next morning, the adults slept in and did not get up at 8 a.m. as usual to take the children to school or kindergarten.

Shortly before 11 a.m., the younger relative woke up and realized that the children were still at home. She went to Kendra's parents' bedroom to wake them up.

When Kendra's mother got up, she noticed that the hallway was littered with pasta and a powdery substance. She spotted Kendra trapped under the overturned stove, which crushed her neck and torso. She didn't move.

Kendra's mother took the stove from her daughter and picked her up. She felt cold.

Kendra's four-year-old brother sat nearby, pointing at her, covered in cooking oil and holding uncooked noodles.

The finding states that Kendra's father recalled that at one point Kendra's mother asked her 4-year-old son what had happened, and her son replied, “The stove had fallen over,” confirming that he and Kendra had been playing on it. The son also said that this was why he had tried to wake his mother earlier.

The parents drove Kendra to the hospital, where they arrived at around 11:10 a.m. Hospital staff attempted to resuscitate her, administering epinephrine, CPR and ventilation, but she was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 11:28 a.m.

Kendra's brother also had to be treated for his injuries. He was taken to Starship Hospital in critical condition but later recovered.

Police searched the house and the freestanding Simpson Atlas oven, which weighed 61 kg and was not attached to the wall or floor.

Kendra weighed 11.9 kg and her brother about 20 kg. Police reconstructed the events and concluded that a 20 kg weight on the edge of the open oven door would cause the oven to violently tip forward.

There are no government regulations requiring freestanding ovens to be secured. Owner's manuals did not specify that they needed to be secured to a wall or other surface.

Police concluded that the circumstances of Kendra's death were not suspicious and were the result of a “tragic accident.” Coroner Bates agreed with the police's findings.

An autopsy revealed that Kendra died of traumatic asphyxia.

Coroner Bates made recommendations to prevent further deaths and said his comments were not intended as a criticism of Kendra's family, who “obviously loved her and took good care of her.”

However, he said the death of the “dearly loved” girl was a tragic reminder of how important constant adult supervision is for young children.

“If direct supervision of young children is not possible in the home, even for short periods, and children are allowed to play around in the house, every care must be taken to ensure that the environment is safe. As will be understood, children can move quickly and quietly. Many are naturally curious and will explore or climb when given the opportunity, particularly when following the example of others.”

He said Kendra's death reminded us of the importance of childproofing areas of the home, such as installing oven and appliance locks and securing items that could be climbed on or tipped over, especially if young children are known to enjoy climbing.

He recommended that local authorities consider regulations governing the installation of freestanding ovens, including securing them in such a way that they do not tip over when weight is placed on the open door.

Coroner Bates said he was not proposing that the rules should be applied retrospectively, but highlighting the issue should prompt people to consider whether their current situation was safe.

He made a second recommendation to manufacturers of freestanding ovens: They should include a clear warning, either in user manuals or on labels affixed to the ovens themselves, that there is a risk of the oven tipping over if weight is placed on the open door when it is not secured.

Kelly Makiha is an experienced journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering police, justice, human resources and social issues.