**Toddler Sustains Serious Head Injuries in ‘Freak Accident’ at Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool**
A family from Widnes was left shaken after a reported mishap at a Liverpool city centre hotel left a three-year-old girl with several severe cuts to her head. Danielle Kenny, mother of four, described a terrifying sequence of events at the Adelphi Hotel, when a large cabinet allegedly fell on her daughter Valencia, leaving the child “pouring with blood”.
Ms Kenny, 35, recounted that the family had spent the day enjoying the city on Friday, 1 August, before opting to stay overnight at the well-known hotel to avoid a late return journey. The next morning, as she was preparing to bathe her nine-month-old son Valentino in the hotel room, her three other children, including Valencia and younger sister Valentina, were in the room along with their oldest sibling, Hugo, ten.
The situation took a dramatic turn shortly after 11am on Saturday, 2 August. According to Ms Kenny, while her attention was on bathing her baby, Valencia attempted to open a cabinet in the corner of their room. In her account, this tall, freestanding unit – described as a corner cabinet and “almost to the ceiling” in height – suddenly toppled forward onto the toddler. Making matters worse, the top half of the piece of furniture contained glass, which shattered upon impact with Valencia’s head.
Hearing her daughter’s scream, Ms Kenny immediately rushed to rescue her. She lifted the cabinet off Valencia, discovering the little girl’s face and head covered in blood from a 6cm gash and two additional 2cm cuts. “Her whole face and head were pouring with blood,” Ms Kenny recounted. She grabbed a towel to stem the bleeding and hurried to the hotel’s reception area to seek urgent help.
Hotel staff called for emergency medical assistance. Valencia was quickly taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, a leading paediatric facility. There, she remained for around five hours while doctors treated her injuries and ensured there was no lasting damage. She was discharged that evening, but according to her mother, the psychological toll of the ordeal has become apparent. Ms Kenny said her daughter has been deeply affected, expressing distress about her appearance and exhibiting reluctance to go outside or play with other children.
In the wake of the incident, the family was compelled to return home without their belongings, which remained at the Adelphi Hotel. Ms Kenny later reported the matter to Liverpool City Council, seeking an investigation. At the time of reporting, the council had not issued a response, nor had Britannia Hotels, the parent company of the Adelphi, commented on the allegations.
A photo provided by Ms Kenny shows the brown wooden cabinet in question, positioned in the corner of their hotel room. It is not the first time concerns have been raised regarding heavy or unstable furniture at the Adelphi. Nearly three years ago in 2022, a 21-year-old woman tragically died in a separate incident involving a wardrobe in another room at the same hotel, which police later ruled accidental.
The council’s ongoing investigation into safety at the Adelphi remains unresolved, and the latest incident is likely to reignite calls for improved hotel safety standards, particularly regarding furniture fixtures in guest rooms.
This story has underlined the very real dangers that can arise from poorly secured furniture in accommodation settings. It raises questions about the responsibilities of hotels in ensuring fixtures cannot pose risks to guests—especially families with young children. While official responses are awaited, the repercussions for the Kenny family, particularly for young Valencia, look set to linger far beyond their short stay in Liverpool.