Commonly-found household item claims life of child of British tycoon.
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The 2-year-old daughter of British tycoon Morten Hoegh has been found hanged in her cot, tangled in a window blind cord, according to the Daily Mail. London police are treating the tragic death of the toddler as ‘non-suspicious’.
Little Alexandra Hoegh was discovered not breathing by her mother in the family’s mansion. Paramedics attended to the girl who was later pronounced dead. Initial reports suggest that the toddler went into cardiac arrest.
Hoegh is officially one of Britain’s richest men with an estimated fortune of £175million and appears on the Sunday Times Rich List, and his wife is said have been hospitalised for shock following the incident.
Alexandra is survived by her older brother and sister and her parents.
Safety tips for parents
Safety activists are highlighting the child’s death as evidence that window blinds with looped cords are hazardous, and are calling for them to be banned, following the deaths in the UK of 10 children since 2010. Safety issues listed include:
- If the looped cord dangles too low, it may wrap around the neck of a crawling baby.
- When at (adult) waist height, the cord may strangle a walking child.
- Cords may rest in or be blown into cots or over beds.
It is recommended that looped cords be cut into two loose cords and tied up well out of the
reach of children. (Sheila Merrill, home safety manager for the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Accidents)
Have you ever considered window blind cords a safety hazard?
By: Scott Dunlop