6-Year-Old Boy Dies Following Freak Accident Involving Plush Penguin Toy
Supporting Deklan/ Facebook Deklan Babington-MacDonald
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 a My 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.
"As you can understand this is a devastating time for the family so please respect their privacy and understand they won't be able to talk on the phone. They are reading the messages of support and appreciate all the love and kindness shown by the community," a statement posted to the Facebook page Supporting Deklan read. "The money donated will go towards Deklan's memorial and allow Lauren to make an important keepsake with Deklan's ashes when the time is right."
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 to news.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. "Devastated doesn't begin to describe how the family is right now."
Deklan bought the toy at Sea World, a marine park on Australia's Gold Coast owned by the company Village Roadshow Theme Parks, 9News reported.
RELATED: 10-Year-Old Girl Killed in 'Tragic' Sledding Accident in Colorado
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.
