Changes advised after cord death
A coroner has released details of the death of a toddler hung and fatally strangled by a blind cord — saying that while the case is horrifying and traumatic for the child’s family, sharing what happened could prevent future deaths.
And she has called for strict and sweeping regulations in the windowcoverings industry, saying five other Kiwi children have died in similar tragedies and much more needs to be done to prevent more deaths.
In 2018 the 19-month-old girl was found unresponsive on her bedroom floor by her parents with the inner cord of the roman blind fixed to her window “tightly wrapped around her neck”.
It is thought the little girl was trying to look out the window to see her father, who had returned home shortly after she was put to bed, and got caught in the inner cords and could not free herself.
Roman blinds have a cord that raises or drops the window covering and that is attached to a system of cords on the back that the child became entangled in.
A permanent suppression order means the child and her family can never be identified. The Herald cannot publish the exact date or location of her death or any other information that might reveal who she is. Her parents did not want to speak about her death.
Coroner Mary-anne Borrowdale said this week that the loss of the little girl was “truly horrific” for her family, but it was crucial to create awareness around a potentially fatal safety issue.
After the death was referred to her, she carried out extensive research into “the potential for asphyxiation of the young by window blind cords”, finding it had been an “acknowledged risk for almost a century” around the world. She said the dangers became evident as toddlers gained mobility and became more curious about their surroundings.
While they had the motor skills to access blind cords, they lacked the cognitive ability to understand the risk of strangulation and the developmental maturity to free themselves if they got entangled.
“Window blind strangulation incidents can be fatal within minutes and can occur silently. In this regard, they are similar to child drownings,” the coroner’s findings said.
“Accessible window blind cords should be considered as hazardous to young children as standing bodies of water.”
Coroner Borrowdale also noted that due to their stage of development, toddlers were particularly vulnerable to strangulation as their heads weigh proportionately more than their bodies. And due to underdeveloped windpipes, if they became entangled by a cord wrapped around their neck they would suffocate “quickly and silently”.
She revealed there were six cases of children being fatally strangled by blind cords since 2009.
“Of those six cases, all but one occurred as a result of entanglement in roman blind cords,” she said.
“The statistics — each case representing a deeply tragic loss of life — are highly concerning, given the low public awareness of this hazard.”
There are no mandatory regulations or enforceable requirements around blind cords.
Coroner Borrowdale consulted the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on the issue and said it was observed that even if there was future regulation on the supply of blinds, there was a remaining risk from legacy blinds.
She noted that some larger suppliers of window coverings were already undertaking “responsible practice” and strongly recommending to customers that safety devices were purchased when ordering blinds — or that they should be retrofitted to existing blinds already installed — in areas where children may be present.
She also wanted more done to promote safety and prevent harm and death.
Coroner Borrowdale said the child’s family were unaware of the hazard posed by inner blind cords, located at the reverse of the blind.
“Their custom-made blind was supplied with no safety information.”
Coroner Borrowdale recommended that blind manufacturers, importers and sellers make it easy and either cheap or free to replace of retro-fit safety enhancements to existing hazardous corded blinds and that MBIE look at organising or assisting such a scheme. — NZ Herald