News

Child hospitalized after choking incident outside Enfield home day care

03/26/2014

March 26--ENFIELD -- A 4-year-old girl remains hospitalized in Lebanon after being found hanging by her coat that caught on a makeshift lean-to outside a local home day care, police said.

Chief Richard Crate Jr. on Wednesday would not identify the day care center where the incident took place, but he said he expects to at some point. He also did not identify the child who was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment.

"She is fighting for her life right now," he said.

Crate said police were called at 12:43 p.m. Monday by the home care owner, who reported the child got caught on the lean-to and was not breathing. The woman was performing CPR on the child.

Police arrived first, immediately followed by an ambulance. Emergency personnel, Crate said, took over performing CPR on the child who was then taken to the Lebanon hospital.

Crate said the woman was caring for five children, some related, at the day care. At the time, she was inside with one child but watching the other children playing outdoors.

The 4-year-old, Crate said, apparently climbed up onto a small makeshift lean-to -- a type Boy Scouts make, he explained -- and somehow fell, catching the back of her jacket on a stick.

The day care owner did not see the fall, he said, but saw what she thought was a jacket hanging off the lean-to and went outside to check it out.

She found the child hanging by her coat, unhooked her and immediately began CPR, according to Crate. She then went back inside and called 911.

The back of the child's jacket got hung up on a stick, putting pressure on her neck and collapsing her airway, according to Crate.

Crate said he did not know if the home care center was licensed, but he said police will be in touch with the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The investigation is ongoing.

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