Toddler died after choking on slice of banana in freak bedtime accident

A two-year old died tragically when he choked on a piece of banana in a freak accident just before bedtime.

Dylan John James Greig's mum gave him the piece of sliced banana instead of a bedtime bottle, an inquest heard.

Danielle Butterly, 30, left the room for "no more than 30 seconds" but returned to find her son lying on his back after the piece got stuck.

The family rang 999 for help and Butterly's own brother-in-law rushed to the scene, not realising it was his nephew who was choking.

Dylan was rushed to hospital but died later that evening.

Butterly told an inquest in Ruthin, North Wales, that she had given Dylan a the piece of banana just before bedtime instead of his bottle at their home in St Asaph, North Wales, in July this year.

After briefly leaving the room, she returned to find him choking, the inquest heard.

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"I quickly realised something was wrong. He was flapping his arms around and I could see he was choking," she said in a statement.

"I was trying anything. I can't describe the sound that came from him."

She called 999 and was given advice by ambulance control on how to help Dylan, the inquest heard.

Butterly said she found a piece of banana in her son's throat "completely stuck fast and wasn't moving".

Police officers were called with paramedics - but it was only when PC Brian Williams arrived at the house that he realised the child was his nephew.

Williams, whose wife is Butterly's sister, said he was "incredibly shocked" on entering the house to find his sister-in-law "carrying out chest compressions on my two-year-old nephew".

He took his sister-in-law out of the room while paramedics tried to resuscitate Dylan, who was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital in Bodelwyddan but died later that evening.

"I will never be able to forget that night," PC Williams added.

Senior coroner John Gittins recorded a conclusion of accidental death caused by hypoxic cardiac arrest due to choking on a banana at the Ruthin inquest.

He said the banana had been given to Dylan in an "entirely appropriate" and normal way and after reading Butterly's statement, told her: "I can't imagine for one second how difficult that must have been for you."

He added: "This was a tragic set of events that ultimately led to the loss of this two-year-old."

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