England: Girl dies after accidentally entangling herself in rope swing while on video call with friends
A CT scan in hospital showed Grace had suffered a brain injury resulting from the loss of oxygen and blood supply.
FollowA 11-year-old girl died when she accidentally entangled in a swing while on a video call to friends. Grace Patricia Hamnet strangled herself in the rope while talking to a number of school friends, an inquest heard.
Her mum found Grace when she went outside to ask her to look out for a McDonald's delivery, reported CheshireLive. Her screams alerted a neighbour who leapt the fence and started CPR.
Grace was in cardiac arrest when an ambulance arrived and attempts to resuscitate her continued on the way to hospital. Further attempts at resuscitation succeeded only in stabilizing her, but she remained unconscious before being transferred to the specialist Alder Hey Children's Hospital in nearby Liverpool. She sadly died at the hospital five days later, CheshireLive reported.
A CT scan in hospital showed Grace had suffered a brain injury resulting from the loss of oxygen and blood supply. An MRI scan confirmed that Grace had a “devastating brain injury” with neurosurgeons concluding that there was nothing more that could be done. Grace, who was born in Warrington, died on May 28.
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In written evidence read out at the hearing, Dr Carla Thomas, a paediatric intensive care consultant said: “Grace was perfectly fit and well on the morning of May 23. She had last been seen playing in the garden at home while on a video chat with friends.”
Also, in written evidence the testimony of Detective Inspector Robert Lees, of Cheshire Constabulary stated: “She had been on a group chat with school friends. They indicated that during the telephone group conversation Grace had showed them the rope and said 'I'll be able to put my neck through this and hang myself. She said it in a joking way.”
When her phone was left pointing at the sky and Hamnet stopped speaking on the call, her friends told their parents, who contacted various relevant authorities, the inquest heard.
DI Lees said Grace’s mum had made it clear that her daughter would not self-harm and was a happy child. She’d just received a good school report, the hearing was told. A Cheshire Constabulary investigation confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace's death and no third party involvement.
