A 21-month-old toddler tragically died falling out of a bathroom window after running away from his mother at bedtime.
Jayden Beckett fell from the first-floor window of the family’s home in Earley, near Reading in April as his father watched helpless from below.
The youngster suffered devastating brain injuries and was later taken off a life-support machine at hospital, an inquest heard today.
Jayden Beckett tragically died after falling from a first-floor window at his family home
Statements by Jayden’s parents Jay and Stephanie were read by coroner Peter Bedford today.
His mother’s statement said: ‘We went to bed but Jayden ran off for a few minutes. I thought he had gone to see my sister who lives with us, which he often does, to postpone going to bed.
‘I assumed he’d come back by himself or she would bring him back. Then I heard Jay shout upstairs to the effect Jayden has fallen out of the window.’
The fall was witnessed by his father Jay, who was outside the house at the time
It is believed he climbed onto a toilet seat and then a window sill before toppling out of the window, which may have been open on the hot evening.
Jayden’s father’s statement said: ‘I saw him strike the floor head-first. I screamed out for Stephanie and took him to the car.’
The couple began driving the injured boy to the nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital. However, he stopped breathing during the journey.
Mrs Beckett told police: ‘I held him in the front seat of the car. I was talking to the ambulance as we were driving. They told us to pull over.
‘I had done CPR at work so I administered the compressions while the ambulance arrived.’
Jayden was transferred to the specialist head injury unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, suffering from a bleed on the brain and a severe traumatic brain injury. However he was taken off the life support machine three days later and died on April 15.
The coroner ruled the death was an accident which could have happened to any parent.
Mr Bedford said: ‘Days after admission with tests negative and no improvement, his life support was switched off and he passed away with his parents at his bedside.
‘Jayden was left alone for a matter of minutes if that. His mother thought he was running into his aunt’s room.’
The tragedy happened in this residential street in Earley, near Reading, Berkshire
The coroner added: ‘The bathroom door was open. Jayden had climbed onto the toilet and then onto the ledge of the bathroom window. He had seen or heard his father outside, or something else caught his attention. He lost his balance and fell.
‘The window opens easily but the window may also have been left open due to the hot weather.
‘Most people would have acted in exactly the same way and it could have happened to any parents. Jayden had never climbed onto the toilet before but was capable of climbing.
‘The conclusion I have reached is one of an accident. I would like to say that this is a situation which all parents would have nothing but sympathy and recognition for.’