UK inquest hears toddler died after entanglement in blind cord
An 18-month-old boy died after becoming entangled in the cord of a blind in his bedroom, a UK inquest heard today.
Rithik Chakrabarti was found by his father Amitabha lying on his bed in an awkward position with the window blind cord around his neck.
Dr Chakrabarti and his wife Goswami, both doctors, tried desperately to resuscitate their son and he was rushed to hospital but declared dead an hour later.
Rithik’s father said he had left his home in Poole on the morning of May 5 and gone to work without seeing his son.
Breaking down in tears, Dr Chakrabarti was comforted by his wife as he told the Bournemouth hearing: “No, he was asleep when I left for work, so I didn’t actually get to see him.”
He told the inquest he had arrived home at 7pm that evening to learn that Rithik was asleep in bed having been put to bed by his mother.
Dr Chakrabarti went to his son’s bedroom to wake him because he was worried if he did not then Rithik would not sleep well that night.
“The line was around his neck. It was very tight. I asked my wife to get scissors to cut it,” he said.
“I got him in my arms but I knew he wasn’t breathing because he was blue and cold. My wife was doing chest compressions and we tried to resuscitate him and I started to do mouth-to-mouth.
“She dialled 999 and the ambulance people came so very quickly and then he was taken to the hospital.”
Dr Chakrabarti explained that his son slept in a “day bed” positioned against a wall.
The bed had three raised sides with the wall acting as the fourth side and would prevent Rithik from climbing out. The window with the blind was located at the end of the bed.
Dr Chakrabarti said the cord could not be seen unless the curtain in front of it was moved first.
“You cannot see the cord in the curtain unless you lift it up. So I don’t know what he did,” he told the hearing.
Detective Sergeant Steve Symms, who investigated Rithik’s death, said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Professor Rupert Risden, who carried out the post-mortem examination, found that Rithik had died from asphyxiation due to ligature compression of the neck.
Brendan Allen, the deputy coroner for Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
“In my view there is only one conclusion available to me and that is Rithik’s tragic death was as a result of an accident,” he said. “So formally I record that Rithik Chakrabarti died as a result of an accident.”
Mr Allen thanked the witnesses for giving evidence in “very difficult circumstances” and offered his condolences to the little boy’s family.
Speaking after the hearing, DS Symms urged parents to be vigilant and to check where their children sleep for hidden dangers.
“It is obviously upsetting when any young child dies and as the coroner said it was a tragic accident,” the officer said. “People need to go away and check bedrooms in relation to where their children sleep.”
