Toddler Tianna Mooney died after getting tangled in blind, just 45 minutes after she was put to bed .
PARENTS are being warned about the dangers posed by window blind cords after the death of an 18-month-old girl.
Little Tianna Mooney died after becoming entangled in a blind in her bedroom.
The toddler had been put to bed as normal at her Basford home.
But less than an hour later her mother, Stacey Clarke, found her unresponsive, with the cord loop around her neck.
Now – after finding Tianna’s death in June last year was accidental – assistant coroner David James said he was ‘astounded’ to discover how many children have died in similar circumstances.
Read more: Parents of Bronwyn Taylor raise money for awareness leaflets
He said: “Tianna’s death was not an isolated death. I can’t say enough how important it is for parents, grandparents and carers of young children to ensure looped blind cords are kept out of the reach of children.
“This was an utter tragedy.”
An inquest at North Staffordshire Coroners’ Court yesterday heard Miss Clarke put Tianna to bed at around 7.30pm on June 16 last year.
The tot’s cot was by a window fitted with a vertical blind – which had some slats missing – and she would often stand and look out of the window before settling down to sleep. The inquest heard Miss Clarke, who lived in Victoria Street with Tianna and her older son, went upstairs 45 minutes later.
She described seeing Tianna ‘standing in her cot, with the cord around her neck’.
Read more: Hundreds attend funeral of Bronwyn Taylor who died after getting tangled in blinds
Miss Clarke picked up her daughter and ran outside calling for help. One neighbour called an ambulance while another – a teacher – tried to resuscitate Tianna. Paramedics quickly arrived but the toddler was pronounced dead in hospital.
Pathologists concluded Tianna died from ‘compression of the neck, consistent with hanging’.
The inquest comes three months after 16-month-old Bronwyn Taylor died when she became entangled in her grandparents’ window blinds in Fegg Hayes.
Her parents Matt and Cathy, from Basford, have since launched a campaign to raise awareness of hidden dangers in the home which will see thousands of leaflets distributed to new parents, as well as extended family members such as grandparents, and in libraries, nurseries, doctors and dental surgeries.
Matt, aged 41, said: “It is tragic that this has happened to another little girl. There are lots of accidents happening every day, which is why we are campaigning and getting these leaflets out.”
The inquest heard current blind cord standards ensure new blinds are child-safe, but older blinds remain a danger in many homes.
During the inquest, Mr James said: “Although these standards are there now for new installations, many homes are still fitted with blinds that will not incorporate these requirements.
“Children of this age are prone not to be able to free themselves, and their windpipes are not fully developed, which means they suffocate.”
Read more: Tragedy as little girl dies after getting tangled in blinds
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