‘We do not know where she got the battery’

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Summer Steer, 4, died after ingesting a button battery.

Summer Steer, 4, died after ingesting a button battery. Source: Supplied

THE parents of a little girl who died after swallowing a battery have made an emotional plea to other families to be aware of the danger that lurks in many homes.

This comes as major retailer Wesfarmers reveals it is investigating how to improve button battery safety in its Kmart and Target stores.

INQUEST: ‘The doctor said it was quite common’

Andrea Shoesmith and Brad Steer issued a statement through Kidsafe Queensland as the inquest into their daughter Summer’s death continued on the Sunshine Coast.

Summer Alice Steer, of Tewantin, died on June 30, 2013, aged 4, after being airlifted to Brisbane.

Without her parents knowing, she had ingested a lithium battery and showed symptoms of stomach pain, “black poo’’ and vomiting blood before going into cardiac arrest.

“Our emotions are pretty raw at the moment; the events of the past two years ago are like yesterday,’’ the parents said in a statement read by Kidsafe Queensland CEO Susan Teerds.

“We want to thank the coroner and the media for helping raise awareness of the dangers of button batteries.’’

Summer Steer's mother Andrea Shoesmith outside the inquiry.

Summer Steer’s mother Andrea Shoesmith outside the inquiry. Source: News Corp Australia

Summer’s parents urged others to know if and where the batteries were in households, and to keep them out of reach of children.

They said urgent medical attention should be sought if parents suspected a child had ingested one.

“We do not know where and when Summer got the battery she swallowed. It could have been from the footpath, so please dispose of batteries.’’

The parents said a lot of information was being collected at the inquest and they would wait for the coroner’s findings before making any further comments.

Kidsafe Queensland CEO Susan Teerds said she had been working for years to bring about changes for button batteries, commonly found in many household appliances.

She said Wesfarmers advised her it would look at new initiatives, including improved warning messages on packaging of items containing button batteries.

“They will also look into the product packaging and how the battery compartments can be better secured,” Ms Teerds said.

“They will also look at having the items placed higher on shelves to minimise access by children.”

Ms Teerds hoped the initiative taken by Wesfarmers would be followed by other major retailers.

“This is a major breakthrough,’’ she said.

The inquest continues.

Fatality from a toxic battery 2:05

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An inquest into the death of a four year old Sunshine Coast girl has heard she was discharged from hospital twice before she died from swallowing a lithium button battery

  • TEN
  • 07 Jul 2015
  • News