A healthy baby boy died after swallowing a 10p coin, leaving his family devastated and raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Truro: A heartbreaking incident unfolded when a baby named Hayden David Lewis Matthews died after swallowing a 10p coin. He was just a fit and healthy little guy, born in May 2022.
Hayden lived with his parents, Kristy and David, near Truro. He was with his dad for about six weeks before this tragic event. David described Hayden as a happy baby just hours before he passed away.
On the day of the incident, David took Hayden to the hospital to pick up his new partner and her son, who had hurt his foot. During the car ride, Hayden was alert and even clapping for a while. But then he went quiet, and David thought he had fallen asleep.
Once they arrived at the hospital, a nurse noticed Hayden didn’t look well in his car seat. She quickly took him to a side room and called for help. Sadly, despite the emergency staff’s efforts, Hayden died later that evening.
David mentioned that Hayden had some chest issues in the months leading up to his death, but he was getting treatment and seemed to be improving. Both parents had taken him to the doctor about these concerns.
After Hayden’s death, the police were notified, and they conducted a thorough investigation. They found nothing suspicious, which was a relief but also puzzling.
A post-mortem revealed that Hayden had a foreign object in his oesophagus, which turned out to be the 10p coin. It looked like it had been there for a while, so it was unlikely he had swallowed it recently.
The coroner, Andrew Cox, concluded that while the coin was a concern, it didn’t seem to be the direct cause of death. He noted that there were no signs of the expected injuries that would come from swallowing a coin.
In the end, the cause of Hayden’s death remains a mystery, and the coroner recorded an open conclusion. It’s a tragic situation that leaves many questions unanswered.
