Baby choked as pram collapsed, inquest told

A five-month-old baby choked to death after the pram in which he had been sleeping partially collapsed, the Dublin Coroner's Court heard yesterday.

Gerard Buckley said he discovered his son, Brendan, "hanging upside down outside the front of the pram" early on the morning of May 3rd, 2004. The baby had been put down to sleep the previous evening without being strapped into the pram in a room connected to a baby monitor.

The inquest heard that a "stabilising bar" on the "Silver Cross Classic" pram had become dislodged, allowing the front of the pram to tilt downwards.

Det Sgt Gerald Feeney of Malahide Garda station said he believed the incline had caused the baby to roll over and get trapped "with his head inside the hood and his little body flipped over the bars".

The tragedy occurred during a visit to Mr Buckley's family home in Portmarnock, Dublin.

Mr Buckley said he said taken the trip from Germany to introduce the baby to family and friends and arrange for his Christening. Mr Buckley's partner Joanne O'Rourke, who attended yesterday's inquest, had stayed in Germany for the visit.

The baby's grandmother Mary Buckley said she had borrowed the pram from friends.

Mr Buckley said his son was "in his usual great form" on May 2nd last. The baby's grandmother took the child for a walk at about 6.55pm, and the baby was asleep when they got back.

Mr Buckley said he then went out to socialise with some friends, leaving the baby in the care of his parents, and sister.

The child's grandmother said she took the monitor into her bedroom but did not look in on her grandson after she went to bed. She said at 3.42am she got up and went to the bathroom, and checked the monitor was still working before returning to bed.

Mr Buckley arrived home less than an hour later, and found his son hanging from the pram.

A member of the Finglas ambulance crew told the inquest there was no trace of a pulse when it arrived at the scene at 4.33am.

It arrived at Temple Street Hospital at 4.50am where the baby was pronounced dead. An autopsy report said the death had been caused by asphyxia due to compression on the neck by the collapse of the front of the pram.

Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said he would inform the relevant standards' authority and the pram's manufacturers of the case so that other parents could be notified of potential dangers.