The devastated father of a baby boy tragically burned in his crib by a sudden steam explosion in a Brooklyn apartment is demanding someone be held accountable for the tragedy.
Eleven-month-old Binyomin Kuravsky was killed last Friday after suffering severe burns from a faulty radiator that gave off steam in his bedroom while he slept.
Binyomin was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Alexander Kuravsky, father of baby boy Binyomin, told The New York Post that someone must be held accountable to ensure this never happens again.
“Buildings, new and old, require careful, consistent and fair inspection … And the only way that can happen is with accountability,” he told The Post.
Eleven-month-old Benjamin Kuravsky was killed last Friday after suffering critical burns as a result of a faulty radiator that let off steam in his bedroom while he slept
Kuravsky and his wife, Bessie, 27, are also parents to one-month-old twin daughters: Ruchami and Hadassah. They do not return to their Midwood apartment
Alexander Kuravsky, father of baby boy Binyomin, told The New York Post that someone must be held responsible to ensure this never happens again
Kuravsky, 36, isn’t sure who is responsible, but he said: “Absolutely people need to be held accountable because there are millions of people living with steam radiators – many of whom also have children and babies in their homes.”
“I want people to understand that Binyomin Zachariah Kuravsky was a boy who did everything out of happiness. (He made me) a parent for the very first time, my wife a mother for the very first time, and he made parenting easy – so easy,” he added.
Kuravsky and his wife, Bessie, 27, are parents to 1-month-old twin daughters: Ruchami and Hadassah. They do not return to their Midwood apartment.
Kuravsky described his son to The Post: “He had no colic, he never complained, he was a happy, energetic young boy with an incredible sense of humor.”
‘I don’t think he was an ordinary baby. Most of us die at 80, 90, 100 – we’re lucky. But for some reason God wanted him before, and if God wanted him before, I don’t think he was an ordinary child – an ordinary baby. There was something unique (about him), something I can’t fathom yet.
“It feels like the whole world is crying for him,” Kuravsky said.
New York Police Department officers responded to a 911 call from 890 East 14th St at 6 a.m.
At the scene they found the baby in a bedroom with serious burns from the burning radiator that was leaking steam.
Video shows police cars parked around the building and police investigating the exterior of the building, particularly the rear.
According to records, officials filed a request with the New York City Department of Buildings for an inspection “due to a defective radiator causing steam to fill the bedroom.”
The twins’ mother was feeding the boy’s other sibling when the child entered the bedroom and was struck by the steam, according to the New York Times.
Kuravsky and his wife, Bessie, 27, are parents to 1-month-old twin daughters: Ruchami and Hadassah. They do not return to their Midwood apartment
Approved Oil, the Brooklyn company that conducted the radiator inspection in February 2023, claims the building’s boiler was found “without defects” at the time
At the scene they found the baby in a bedroom with serious burns from the burning radiator that was leaking steam
Binyomin burned due to a defective radiator in an apartment at 890 East 14th St
The 11-month-old boy was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center where he was pronounced dead
Approved Oil, the Brooklyn company that conducted the radiator inspection in February 2023, claims the building’s boiler had “no defects” at the time.
A 36-year-old resident who has lived in the building since he was a teenager, named Victor Buzin, told the Times he did not know the victim’s family and pointed out that the building had a high tenant turnover.
He said he had never had any problems with his radiator, but the building was old.
‘It’s terrible. How could this happen?’ said Buzin.
The police are still investigating the leak.
Steam burns are a type of thermal burn caused by scalding hot water vapor or hot liquid.
According to Healthline, steam burns are often underestimated because a steam burn may not look as harmful as other types of burns.
Such burns can penetrate the outer layer of the skin and cause severe burns on the lower layers.
The twins’ mother was feeding the boy’s other sibling when the child entered the bedroom and was struck by the steam
The police are still investigating the leak. DailyMail.com has reached out to the NYPD for more information
Although the outer layer does not appear to be seriously damaged, the lower levels may be.
The medical website recommends running cold water on the injury for 20 minutes to start the healing process.
“We have footage of him taking his first steps a day before this terrible tragedy occurred,” the boy’s aunt, Natalie Akselrod, told The Post on Saturday.
“They’re devastated — we’re all devastated,” she said of the parents, her brother Alexander Kuravsky and his wife Bessie. ‘I don’t understand how we’re going to recover – not me, not Alex, not his wife, not her parents, not the kids. We can’t do that. There is no point.’
Kuravsky encouraged all parents to cherish the time they spend with their children.
“Even if they’re already in bed sleeping, and you’re afraid to wake them, and no matter how tired you are – just look at them. Don’t let that moment pass you by,” he told The Post.
So far, a GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised nearly $60,000.