Toddler killed by window blind cord is the 11th victim in two years
A TODDLER has become the latest child to die after getting tangled in window blind cords. Josh Wakeham, who was 22 months old, was killed after the string became wrapped round his neck as he looked out of the window.
His death comes less than a week after an inquest heard how two-yearold Emily Warner died after becoming trapped in a cord in her bedroom.
Shocking figures show there have been 22 deaths caused by blind cords since 1999 – with half of the cases occurring since the start of 2010.
Yesterday, as a campaign warning of the dangers posed by window blind cords was launched, Josh’s parents spoke of their devastation. It is believed he may have struggled to free himself after getting tangled up in the string,
‘We don’t want other
families to suffer’
which then became wrapped more tightly around his neck.
His mother Tracey, 34, who discovered her son’s body kneeling on his bed at the family home in Newport, south Wales, said: ‘We don’t want anyone else to go through this hell.
‘When I found him I was just thinking this cannot be happening. He’d only been in his own bed for around two months. He had night lights and toys surrounding it.
‘When I found him it just looked like he was looking out of the window. His grandparents lived next door so he always used to be looking out and waving.’
She added: ‘ He was a brilliant little guy – he loved to play. He really was a little angel, there was no other way to describe him.
‘Some days I wake up and I don’t want to get out of bed. We’ve got questions for which there will never be any answers.’
Josh’s death on January 24 is the latest in a series of fatal accidents caused by blind cords.
In October last year, 18-monthold Rithik Chakrabarti died in his bedroom in Dorset. And in 2009 Gethin Jones, 23 months, was found strangled at his home in Nefyn, North Wales.
Last week, the parents of Emily Warner told how their family had been left ‘broken’ by her death.
The little girl had been put to bed but stood up on the end of her bed-frame and was climbing across her window sill when the accident happened last August. The twoyearold was left paralysed and suffered brain damage, and died months later.
Her parents have helped to promote the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and British Blind and Shutter Association’s Make It Safe campaign.
It is calling for improvements to safety standards in blinds, such as chain-break connections.
The couple told how the day after the accident they replaced all their vertical blinds with net curtains. Jamie Warner, 30, said: ‘We don’t want other families to suffer. By taking simple steps with your blinds you can protect your children.’
The ROSPA said it was aware of three deaths caused by cords in the last month. But a spokesman added the apparent increase in cases was not necessarily due to a rise in accidents but could be the result of more media exposure and campaigns.
An inquest into Josh’s death will be held by Gwent coroner David Bowen.