A 12-day-old baby has died after an avocado weighing more than 1kg fell from a tree and struck his head while he was being carried by his mother outside a nursery in Argentina.
The incident occurred at around 8am in Quilmes, when the baby’s mother, Giuliana, was dropping off her five-year-old son at school.
Her newborn, Lucas, was in her arms when the fruit reportedly fell from one of three avocado trees lining the entrance to the nursery.
The impact caused multiple skull fractures, leaving the baby critically injured.
Emergency services were called as teachers and other mothers tried to help Giuliana and her son.
“The mothers of my son’s classmates helped me call for assistance for my baby. The kindergarten teachers did too. But nobody was coming,” Giuliana said.
After waiting for around 30 minutes, the baby’s father rushed them to Sanatorio de la Trinidad hospital in Quilmes, as the local medical team reportedly lacked the equipment needed to treat the infant.
Lucas underwent emergency surgery and was admitted to intensive care. However, he died from his injuries on Sunday.
Mother Claims Previous Safety Complaints Were Ignored
Following the tragedy, Giuliana alleged that several accidents had occurred outside the nursery over the past year.
She claimed the school had repeatedly lodged complaints with local authorities about the situation, but received no response.
“There have been reports filed by the kindergarten since last year, and they received no response whatsoever,” she said.
Giuliana also alleged that municipal workers only arrived to prune the trees after her son’s death, reportedly carrying out the work on Saturday, two days after the incident.
“They came secretly to prune the trees,” she said.
However, the municipality reportedly maintained that the tree was in good condition and that the avocado had fallen naturally.
Police have launched an investigation into suspected negligent homicide. An autopsy will be conducted on the newborn, and investigators will examine his medical history as part of the inquiry.
