6-Year-Old Boy Dies Following Freak Accident Involving Plush Penguin Toy

Deklan Babington-MacDonald.Photo: Supporting Deklan/ Facebook

A 6-year-old boy was fatally injured in a “severe accident” involving a toy at his home in Australia, according to family members.

Deklan Babington-MacDonald died on Friday at Queensland Children’s Hospital, five days after he was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition, his family said on aMy Cause fundraising page.

Two days earlier, Deklan’s mother Lauren said doctors considered him “beyond recovery,” and would withdraw life support over the next 48 hours.

RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Zoe Says She’s ‘Shattered and Numb’ After Son Skyler, 9½, Falls 40 Feet from Ski Lift

Cousin Lea Williams told NCA NewsWire that Deklan was injured after a plush penguin toy attached to a leash with a stiff pole in it broke while he was playing, according tonews.com.au.

“It broke and turned into basically a long rope with a loop on the end. In a very short amount of time Deklan became entangled,” she said. “Devastateddoesn’t begin to describehow the family is right now.”

A spokesperson for Village Roadshow did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but told 9News in a statement that the company was “distressed to learn about the tragic accident involving Deklan” and “needs to understand the circumstances around what has occurred.”

The toy has reportedly been removed from their shelves in light of the accident.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was “aware” of Deklan’s death, and the local Office of Fair Trading visited Sea World to pick up samples of the toy for examination, News.com.au reported.

source: people.com