A 2-year-old boy from Fingal Bay, Australia, tragically died after his hoodie reportedly got caught on a curtain rod in a fatal freak accident.
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According to a statement issued by New South Wales Police, shared with PEOPLE, the incident occurred on Monday, June 23, at around 12:10 p.m. First responders, at the time, had received a report of an unresponsive child in Fingal Bay. This suburb is located in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.
Upon arrival, as per News.com.au, police began performing CPR on the 2-year-old. Eventually, New South Wales Ambulance and CareFlight responders arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, despite the attempts to save the boy’s life, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Curtain Rod
Authorities have yet to release details surrounding the child’s death. However, The Daily Telegraph, an Australian newspaper, reported that the boy passed after his hoodie got caught on a curtain rod at home.
This was shared by one of the child’s neighbors. They were left in shock after the incident, having heard the mother’s cries after she reportedly found her child dead.
“All we know is she was only out of the room like for a minute,” the neighbor said. “He’s jumped up I think, and it’s gotten snagged on the (curtain) rod.”
The neighbor added, “They’re the most beautiful family … we are all still traumatised by yesterday.”
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating the incident. The New South Wales Police stated, “Police have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Additionally, a report on the child’s death will be prepared by a coroner, as per police.
The Daily Telegraph noted the similarities between the 2-year-old’s death and the death of Jack Mackay. Jack, a toddler, died back in 2013 in Port Stephens. Just like the Fingal Bay child, Jack became caught in a curtain cord while playing.
Following their tragic loss, Clinton and Laura Mackay, Jack’s parents, advocated for mandatory safety measures in homes to prevent similar tragedies.
“It was such an avoidable accident, and we just think it is so easy to fix this problem so that no other family has to go through this pain that we are feeling,” Laura told the outlet.