This Grieving Family Is Urging You to Take an Important Home Safety Step
Sixteen-month-old Bronwyn Taylor had only been left alone for a few moments. Sadly, that was all the time it took for tragedy to strike. Within seconds, Bronwyn tangled herself in the cord from the her grandparents' window blinds, and it wrapped around her neck. By the time her grandmother found her, she was unconscious. Paramedics were called and Bronwyn, who was in cardiac arrest by that time, was rushed to the nearby hospital, but it was too late - she did not survive.
Her parents Matthew and Cathy Taylor, who were at the theater with their other sons at the time of the accident, are devastated by the loss of their "clever superstar." But now they're telling their tragic tale to spread awareness about the dangers of basic household objects.
"We don't know exactly what happened but somehow she got the blinds, which were on a shelf above the floor, wrapped around her neck," Matthew told The Daily Mail. "Either the blind cord came down or Bronwyn reached up and knocked it down… If anything can come out of this, it must be to warn other people."
Sadly, this isn't the first tragedy caused by window covers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has long warned parents about curtain hazards, reporting that they kill one kid every month. They have recalled millions of window covers due to strangulation risks. Meanwhile, a grassroots group called Parents for Window Blind Safety has been pushing for an outright ban on corded curtains.
Window safety is an issue that the Good Housekeeping Institute takes seriously as well. "We urge parents to examine all window coverings to ensure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, center, or rear of the product," says Chief Technologist Rachel Rothman. "We also advise shades with accessible cords be replaced by cordless window coverings."
But for the Taylors, they're slowly learning to live life without "the light in the middle of [their] family."
"I was looking forward to watching all the Disney films with her, dress her up like a princess and do her hair," Cathy told The Daily Mail. "That's gone because of a stupid little accident."
[via Daily Mail]
