Heartbroken family open up about death of toddler, two, who choked on a pea at nursery

The family of a two-year-old girl who died at creche after she choked on a single pea have opened up about their ordeal saying they are tortured every day.

Little Lauren Boland had been attending the Little Explorers centre in Greystones, County Wicklow in Ireland on January 18 2023 when the tragic event took place.

An inquest at the Dublin District Coroners Court heard a postmortem showed the food item - measuring 11x5 millimetres - was sufficient to obstruct Laurens airway at its narrowest point.

CCTV footage from the creche showed the toddler becoming visibly distressed at 12.06pm shortly after she had been served her lunch, the Irish Mirror reports.

Laurens father, Matt Boland, described how his daughter was always happy and smiling and never had any health issues.

He recalled the little girl had pointed at the moon and said sun when he dropped her off that morning, adding it was the last thing she said to me.

Mr Boland described the scene on reaching the creche after he was alerted by his wife, saying everyone was crying and there was a sense of panic.

He described how he held his daughters hand and told her he loved her.

Little Lauren Boland (pictured) had been attending the Little Explorers centre in Greystones, County Wicklow in Ireland on January 18 2023 when the tragic event took place

Someone informed the father Laurens heart had stopped for 40 minutes before she was placed in an ambulance.

The two-year-old, described as a ray of sunshine and the light of our lives, later suffered a cardiac arrest and died in her parents arms.

Speaking after the inquest, Laurens mother, Lisa, said: We are tortured every day with the what ifs and how things might be and should have been different. 

The unfairness of Lauren not being with us weighs so heavily and we are still at a loss to comprehend how this happened to our little girl.

Coroner Clare Keane called for a review of dietary guidelines on choking hazards for children and for consideration to be given to the mandatory availability of defibrillators at all childcare facilities. 

Recounting the events in more detail, Ms Boland said she was contacted by the creche at 12.17pm who explained her daughter had swallowed a pea that got stuck.

Ms Boland said she screamed in pure shock at seeing her daughter lying on the creche floor, a pale green colour, with her skin cold to the touch.

She reported attempting to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to Lauren before being advised by creche staff it would be of no use due to something blocking her airway.

An inquest at the Dublin District Coroners Court (pictured) heard a postmortem showed the food item - measuring 11x5 millimetres - was sufficient to obstruct Laurens airway at its narrowest point

The mother said it looked as though staff were frozen in shock and did not know what to do, recalling she was told to calm down or would otherwise have to leave.

Interim manager at the creche, Karen Kinsella, gave evidence of seeing Lauren pointing at her throat and gasping for air shortly after she had coughed while eating her lunch.

Ms Kinsella said she gave the toddler a number of slaps on the back and sought help from other staff when she feared the girl might be choking.

Responding to questions from the coroner, the staff member added she found nothing when looking into Laurens mouth.

Debbie Cassidy-Canavan, assistant manager at the creche, gave evidence of taking over attempts to resuscitate the toddler but described feeling disbelief when she realised this is not going the way we hoped.

Two other creche staff, Grace Kennedy and Amy Roberts, also reported providing CPR before community first aid responders and paramedics arrived.

A director of the company which operates the Little Explorers centre, Gina McGarry, said no issues had been identified following a full review of the creches policies and procedures.

She added defibrillators were now provided in all its centres and insisted all managers had been trained in an advanced form of first aid response.

Lisa Boland, sobbing, described her toddler daughter as the brightest star and the light of our lives.

It comes after Ms Boland said she would never know why nobody thought of  paediatric pads for use with the defibrillator which she understood were available in the nearby supermarket and pharmacy.

Ms McGarry confirmed four staff from the creche had been trained on the day of the event despite regulations only requiring a minimum of one.

It was heard the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed no criminal prosecution should arise following an investigation into Laurens death.

Pathologist, John ONeill, confirmed Lauren died as a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain due to a prolonged cardiorespiratory arrest caused by a choking episode.

A verdict of misadventure was concluded, with the counsel for Laurens family saying the toddler had been in a controlled environment.

However, a number of issues were identified by Mr Martin-Smith such as a Heimlich manoeuvre only being attempted - and an ambulance called - after Lauren was assisted by the third first aid responder on the scene.

But counsel for the creche, Veronica McInerney BL, argued a verdict of accidental death would be the correct finding as multiple creche staff had acted promptly and followed first aid training guidelines.

Ms Boland described her daughter as the brightest star and the light of our lives.

Sobbing repeatedly, she said: She brought a sense of magic to the everyday. Her warmth and love for life was simply contagious just like her big smile and hearty laugh.

Asked for a comment after the inquest, the couple said: We trusted Lauren would be safe. Every child in this country deserves to be safe and feel safe. For the safety of every child in this country, lessons must be learned.