Playing toddler 'went limp' after being strangled by window blind cord in front of horrified mum

A mother told how she watched her son "in slow motion" as he became entangled in a window blind cord and hung himself as he "went limp" before her eyes.

Karen Shelley, 42, was watching her son Riley, 2, play with his younger brother Louis, 1, when he became trapped with the cord around his neck.

She was at home in Sheerness, Kent, when Riley stood up on a windowsill and fell through the plastic cord.

His 16-year-old sister Sammy rushed to his aid and pulled him up to save him from hanging.

He was rushed to hospital where doctors ran tests to check his oxygen levels.

The little lad is now recovering at home, and the bruising on his neck has disappeared.

But his mum wants to remind other parents of the dangers of leaving a blind cord free - and said how "lucky" she is that her son is still alive.

Karen told how she ran in slow motion towards her son, as her legs "turned to jelly" and she collapsed on the sofa in front of him.


She said: "It just happened so quickly. I honestly thought he was dead. My legs just collapsed under me as I crawled up the settee.

"He had hold of the cord on both sides of the loop and as he jumped down it went round his neck and pulled him back up a little - then he was just hanging there, limp.

"Sammy grabbed him, she got there before me and pulled him up.

"I just kept screaming 'no, no, no, no' - I thought he had died.

"His eyes started bulging out from his head and he turned this funny colour.



- Mirror