A two-year-old boy drowned in a hot tub in a tragic accident at home, an inquest has heard. Noah O'Brien was in the garden playing with his two older sisters at home in Merthyr when the tragic incident happened on April 27, 2022.
An inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court on Thursday, April 25 heard that on the afternoon of the incident Noah had been briefly left downstairs with his siblings while his mother Lauren O'Brien went upstairs to give her partner dinner.
Rebecca Davies, one of the family's neighbours, told the inquest she had been in her garden picking weeds when she saw Noah's mother go outside into the garden shed and that she then heard a "scream" before she ran back up to the house. A few minutes later, she saw a man she knew to be Ms O'Brien's partner come down and lock the shed up before returning to the house. Ms Davies added that she could hear her saying "I can't breathe, I can't breathe."
READ MORE: Uncle of man who died after police custody describes final moments with him
Catherine Evans, a paramedic at Wales Ambulance Services Trust, told the inquest they received a 'red call' on the day about a two-year-old boy who had been found "not breathing and unresponsive" and that they responded within minutes, arriving at the property at 5.32pm on April 27, 2022. She said they met Noah's mother and partner and were told he had "drowned in the hot tub and that he had only been there a couple of minutes."
The inquest heard another neighbour, Sian Moore, had attended the property after hearing Noah's mother screaming "my baby's not breathing, help, help" and had assisted her in giving Noah CPR until paramedics arrived.
After paramedics arrived Noah was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, where further resuscitation efforts continued. After hospital staff restarted a sustained heart rhythm, Noah was transferred to ICU in University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. However, the following day on April 28, 2022, his family were informed he was extremely unlikely to survive and he was pronounced dead at 4.15pm.
Why we cover inquests – and why it's so important that we do
As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others’ lives.
The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of open justice.
It’s a journalist’s duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret. An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person’s death.
But, most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening.
Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system is not held to account.
Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide.
Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest. Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one.
Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected. However, as has been seen by many powerful media campaigns, the input of a person’s family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others.
Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered and lives will be lost.
A post mortem examination heard Noah had no visible injuries other than those consistent with drowning. Both Ms O'Brien and her partner were interviewed by South Wales Police following the incident, and the inquest heard the shed door had been left open with the intention of draining the hot tub later. While Ms O'Brien had been upstairs bringing her partner food, Noah had walked out of the house via the open back door to the shed before entering the 70cm Lay-Z-Spa hot tub, which was partially filled at the time, and where he was found by his mother. No further police action was taken.
Assistant Coroner Andrew Morse said Noah had been a "fit and healthy" little boy who had been attending preschool at the time of his death. He noted that while subsequent police interviews had been unable to establish exactly how much time had passed between Ms O'Brien going upstairs and Noah being found, that evidence suggested it was only "a matter of minutes", adding that Ms O'Brien had clearly been "hysterically upset." He added that emergency services had been contacted promptly and praised the efforts of Ms O'Brien and her neighbour to revive Noah until paramedics arrived.
Mr Morse gave a medical cause of death of immersion or drowning and concluded that Noah's death was an accident. He offered his condolences to Noah's family on what he said was a "difficult period" ahead of the second anniversary of his death.
Join the WalesOnline WhatsApp community
WalesOnline has launched a new breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. From the biggest court stories to the latest traffic updates, weather warnings and breaking news, it's a simple way to stay up to date with what's happening in Wales.
Want to join? All you have to do is click on this link, select 'Join Community' and you're in. We will not spam your feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.
If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. We occasionally treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can read our Privacy Notice here.
