A two-year-old boy tragically died after he was choked by a bedroom blind cord.
Joey Walker’s mother, Chloe Armstrong, had only left the room for ‘seconds’ when he accidentally became trapped in the cable.
The grieving mother shared how she tried to save her son after finding him unresponsive.
“I was collecting the washing from my room and his room and taking it downstairs,” Ms. Armstrong recalled.
“Joey was in my bedroom, I left him for a second. He liked playing with the washing machine. His job in the house was to help me fill it up and turn it on.
“I was shouting him to come down – but he didn’t follow.”
She continued: “I could hear him messing about and then it was just silence. I went upstairs and that’s when I found him.”
The bind cord had been installed by a previous tenant, an inquest heard.
Senior coroner Chris Morris said he was concerned that landlords are not obliged to make sure cables or cords were safety-compliant.
“It is a matter of concern that residential landlords are not currently subject to any obligation to inspect window coverings,” he told housing secretary Robert Jenrick and council bosses.
“In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths.”
No arrests were made as the investigation concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances.
“The investigation established the blind cord which had been installed by a previous tenant was not a functioning safety cord which would break if undue pressure was placed on it,” the report added.
Ms. Armstrong said: “his chain was already broken before I moved in. It shouldn’t have been there, full stop. Joey would be alive now if the house had not been re-let with a faulty blind cord.”
Joey was rushed to Manchester Children’s Hospital where he passed away 18 days later after suffering irreversible brain injuries.
“He lived so long after the accident because I knew child CPR – I did what I could to give him the best chance,” she said. “The doctors said that he wouldn’t have had a chance otherwise.”
The grieving mother added: “Joey was so funny. He was very, very clever. He could have a conversation with you at two years old. He was very polite – he always said please and thank you.”
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