A five-year-old boy from the North-East of England has tragically died from “helium poisoning” following a horrific incident with a large dinosaur-shaped helium balloon.
It’s believed that the young boy, who has been identified as Karlton Noah Donaghey, tried to climb inside of the balloon, which was the same size as himself.
After Karlton went inside the house to use the toilet on June 23, not returning outside to the garden, 43-year-old mum Lisa began to worry, before going inside to check on him.
“When I came in he was on the floor with the balloon over his head and his neck. It was a dinosaur balloon which was the same size as him,” mum-of-four Lisa explained as reported by metro.co.uk.
“I think he’s put himself in the balloon to be a dinosaur to go outside and surprise his nieces. I pulled the balloon off him and I screamed.”
“I think I carried him to the patio door. As a mother, I knew he was gone, he was unresponsive. He had his eyes wide open and he was pale,” Lisa recalled.
Karlton was administered CPR by a neighbour before being airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After spending six days in intensive care, Karlton’s life-support ventilator was switched off and he sadly passed away.
The publication also reports that it’s believed Karlton died from helium poisoning, however, this has yet to be confirmed.
Warning other parents and childminders about the dangers associated with helium balloons, Lisa said, “It’s taken my son’s life, he was just wanting to playfully be a dinosaur. It can take a child’s life and it can take an adult’s life.”
“I want parents, grandparents, childminders, adults, students, anyone that has come into contact with helium to be cautious about the ways they use it and dispose of it. A precious five-year-old has been taken too soon and I would never ever put this pain on anybody,” she added.
