Four-year-old Austen Harrison , from Crawley , West Sussex was shopping when when the mirror toppled on to him , causing 'devastating ' injuries . The death of a four-year old who was crushed by a mirror in a Hugo Boss store was an 'accident waiting to happen ' , a coroner has said . Austen Harrison from Crawley , West Sussex was shopping with his parents Simon and Irina Harrison when he was injured at the Bicester outlet village in Oxfordshire . The youngster had been playing with a heavy steel-framed fitting-room mirror while his father tried on a suit at a Hugo Boss shop when it toppled on to him , causing 'devastating ' head injuries , Oxford Coroner 's Court heard . Senior Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter 's comments came after an inquest jury returned a narrative verdict in to the death of Austen Harrison . The jury found : 'The mirror came to fall on Austen after he moved the wings , causing the unfixed mirror to become unstable . 'The jury believes that the mirror should have been fixed to the wall and that the wall should have been reinforced . We do not believe the mirror was fixed to the wall . ' The youngster underwent an emergency operation to relieve pressure on his brain but died four days later in hospital after life-support was switched off . The jurors , who had been listening to evidence at the Oxford hearing for three days , said safety checks should have been carried out . They stated : 'We believe there were health and safety systems in place but are not confident that these systems would have avoided any danger posed by the mirror . In any case , these systems do not seem to have been followed . ' The coroner said he is writing a report about the case to the Chief Coroner in the hope of preventing future incidents . Mr Salter said : 'It is surprising to me that the mirror stayed in its position for possibly up to six months with staff and customers moving its wings . Sadly , this was an accident waiting to happen and sadly it happened to young Austen . 'You would not expect such a heavy mirror to be free-standing and unsupported in any way . ' The inquest heard that the 6ft 6in ( 2m ) high mirror , which weighed 19 stone ( 120kg ) , was not fixed to the wall and that its free-standing position on the floor meant it could easily overbalance . The fatal mirror : The inquest heard that the 6ft 6in ( 2m ) high mirror , which weighed 19 stone ( 120kg ) , was not fixed to the wall and that its free-standing position on the floor meant it could easily overbalance . Austen had been playing with the mirror 's large wing panels , which were attached by hinges , and as Mr Harrison turned away he heard a huge bang . Doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital told the family that Austen would not recover from the 'irreversible ' damage . Life support was switched off and he died on June 8 at 5.45am . The youngster had been playing with a heavy steel-framed fitting-room mirror while his father tried on a suit at a Hugo Boss shop ( pictured ) when it fell on him . Doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital told the family that Austen would not recover from the 'irreversible ' damage . The youngster underwent an emergency operation to relieve pressure on his brain . Evidence from health and safety experts suggested the mirror would have been 'very unstable ' as it stood on the floor , that there was 'no form of free-standing support ' , and that opening the wings of the mirror would change the centre of gravity , causing it to fall forwards . The coroner said health and safety systems had been 'in place but were not followed ' and that this lack of understanding and responsibility was something that 'seems to be accepted ' by Hugo Boss . He also noted that the company had made efforts to improve , including hiring a health and safety manager and training for staff . Simon Harrison ( left ) spoke briefly with his lawyer before leaving by a back door , without further comment about the death of his only child . Pictured ( right ) is a closed sign following the incident . After the verdict , Mr Harrison spoke briefly with his lawyer before leaving by a back door , without further comment about the death of his only child . In a statement Hugo Boss later said : 'The global Hugo Boss team has expressed its heartfelt condolences to the family , and our thoughts are of course still with them . 'Our team remains extremely saddened by the incident . Given the ongoing investigations , it would be inappropriate to comment further . '
Austen Harrison was playing with heavy fitting - room furniture in Bicester . Left with ' devastating ' head injuries after it toppled over and crushed him . doctors said was ' waiting to happen ' as mirror was not properly fitted . Youngster died two days after the accident during an operation .