A toddler who tragically died in hospital when he was just 14 months old had swallowed a 10p coin, an inquest has heard.
David Matthews had rushed another child to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro for an unrelated injury when little Hayden turned cold and blue.
He had been “smiling and giggling” during the hour-long drive to the hospital, so his father thought Hayden had just fallen asleep.
But Hayden died about 30 minutes after turning blue after attempts were made to revive him.
During X-rays, a 10 cent coin was discovered.
A post-mortem examination showed it was located in the toddler's esophagus, the passage from the throat to the stomach.
A toddler who tragically died in hospital when he was just 14 months old had swallowed a 10p coin, an inquest has heard. Stock image
Hayden had 'smiled and giggled' during the hour-long journey to the Royal Cornwall Hospital
However, it is not known how long the coin had been there, the BBC reports.
The inquest heard Hayden had been coughing and had been given steroids and an inhaler in recent weeks, but there were no other health problems.
Andrew Cox, the senior coroner, drew an open conclusion on Hayden's death and ruled out neglect.
He could not conclude whether the 10 cent coin was the cause of the little boy's death.
