Warning as five-year-old NSW girl dies after choking on a Frankfurt in backseat of car
By Merryn Porter |
There are renewed calls for parents to be aware of the choking hazard posed by a common food item following the death of a five-year-old NSW girl this month.
The central west town of Canowindra, located between Orange and Cowra, is in mourning following the tragic death of Imogen Lennon on January 16 after she choked on a Frankfurt.
Imogen was eating a deli or cocktail Frankfurt in the ?backseat of a car being driven by her mum Samantha when she started choking, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by a close family friend to help pay for her funeral, which will be held today.
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According to the GoFundMe set up by Tamara Harrison, ?Imogen's mother had picked up her daughter from swimming lessons on the afternoon of the tragedy.
"On the drive home, Imogen was happily eating a deli Frankfurt (a favourite after swimming) and chatting away to her mum from the back seat, when she suddenly started choking," the post said.
"Despite Sam's heroic efforts, ringing an ambulance, the help of a passerby and eventually driving Imogen to the hospital herself (the ambulance was too far away to make it in time), beautiful Imogen passed away later at the hospital."
Harrison described Imogen as a "bright, determined, loving and sassy five-year-old" and said her cause of death was "tragic and unlikely."
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?She said there were "no words that could accurately describe how how shattered Imogen's family are."
"To make sense of such a tragic loss in such a way is inconceivable," she said. "It is impossible to Imagine life without Imogen."
A funeral service will take place in Canowindra this morning, Saturday, January 28, with mourners asked to wear bright coloured clothing.
Harrison said Imogen's parents, Sam and Bill, ?were "true Aussie battlers" who were "always helping others" and would "give the shirts off their backs, without a second thought should someone be in need."
"The burden of trying to find the money to pay for Imogen's final resting place and a fitting celebration of her short life is a burden that I would like to remove for this family, while they deal with such an unthinkable tragedy," she said.
"I know they will be eternally grateful for any assistance, big or small.
She ended the post, "For Imogen: Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever. We love you."
Tiny Hearts Education, which educates parents and caregivers about childhood hazards and first-aid, recently shared a video to show the dangers a hot dog poses to young children on its TikTok and Instagram accounts.
Its CEO Nikki Jurcutz said Frankfurts caused more choking deaths than any other food and demonstrated how parents could prepare and serve the popular item to minimise the choking risk to children.
The video shows a clear tube, which represents a child's oesophagus.
It then demonstrates the two ways you can slice a Frankfurt for a child to eat. While the most common way is a choking hazard, slicing it lengthways means it will not completely block the airway if inhaled.
Research conducted by John Hopkins Children's Centre in the US found hotdogs were the top cause of food-related choking in children under the age of three.
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