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Home / World

Girl, 3, walks into hospital ‘with knife stuck in head’

By Antonia Langford
Daily Telegraph UK·
25 Aug, 2025 08:29 PM2 mins to read

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The 3-year-old girl walked into a hospital with a fruit knife in her head after her mother accidentally stabbed her with it. Photo / X

The 3-year-old girl walked into a hospital with a fruit knife in her head after her mother accidentally stabbed her with it. Photo / X

A 3-year-old girl apparently walked into a hospital with a fruit knife lodged in the side of her head.

A video appeared to show the child entering Dongchuan People’s Hospital, in southwest China, with a 15cm blade part-way into her skull just above her right ear.

The clips, taken by an onlooker, went viral on Chinese social media, prompting a heated debate about the role of the mother.

The child’s mother, whose surname is Hu, was changing bedsheets when she swung a sheet and sent a fruit-knife flying into her daughter’s head, according to the South China Morning Post.

However, a member of hospital staff reportedly claimed that the mother had admitted to picking up the knife to “scare” her daughter, who was having a tantrum, before accidentally stabbing her with it.

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The 3-year-old is stable after knife lodged in head was removed. Photo / X
The 3-year-old is stable after knife lodged in head was removed. Photo / X

The knife became lodged in the child’s skull, with the handle exposed. Her mother reportedly tried to remove the knife but failed before taking her daughter to the hospital for treatment.

The girl’s condition is said to be stable after staff performed a craniotomy to safely remove the blade, a neurosurgeon told media. Staff from the Dongchuan District Health and Family Planning Bureau confirmed to media outlets that the girl had undergone surgery before being kept under observation.

A doctor told Chinese Business View that the girl was able to survive because of the softness of her skull.

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“If the girl’s mother had recklessly pulled the knife out, the risk would have been enormous. The correct action was to seek immediate professional medical help,” the doctor said.

Police are said to have ruled the injury an accident and no criminal intent was involved.

Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.

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