Nicaela Bier: Heartbroken mom recalls how toddler son was CRUSHED by electric recliner sofa
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: A devastated mother has shared her story to keep his dead son’s memory alive as she struggles to cope with the tragic loss of her 11-month-old baby. Nicaela Bier reportedly lost her toddler son, Ryder, in May because of a 'killer' sofa at her Las Vegas home. “He was snatched away from me at just 11 months old. I will never understand why he’s gone, and my heart will be broken forever,” she told The Sun.
As per reports, Bier and Ryder's father Joshua Ross met each other in late 2019. At the time, she already had a daughter, Aubreanna, who was 8 months old at the time. The pair instantly hit off and Bier became pregnant with Ryder in 2020 before giving birth to him in June 2021. “On June 6, 2021, I was holding my son, seeing him in Joshua’s arms and watching Aubreanna give him a kiss. It was just incredible,” the mother described.
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Then in April of this year, the family reportedly shifted to “a new, bigger house”. Recalling the time, Bier explained: “In April 2022 we’d just moved into a new, bigger house, and there were unpacked boxes everywhere. Life had gotten so crazy that I decided to leave my job. Something told me to take some time, to be home with the kids and to just enjoy them. I have such a strong intuition and try my best to follow it as best as I can,” before noting, “I don’t always though.”
The woman then mentioned her sofa that was purchased in March 2021 as she said: “It was a three-chair electric recliner, and each section had a button which controlled it.” She also revealed that initially, she feared that the furniture could prove risky for her children but she then felt that she was worrying too much.
Thinking of Ryder, Bier said: “Ryder was the happiest baby. He was always smiling. Adventurous and quick, in April he was almost walking, able to stand if he held onto things. Aubreanna adored being a big sister. Ryder was her best friend, and the pair were always having fun.” But on May 8, 2022, things took an unexpected turn for the worse during their playtime.
She told The Sun, "It was a Sunday, Joshua’s father Kevin was staying and all of us were hanging out at home. Joshua was going to cook us all dinner so he went off to the supermarket." Ensuring doors were closed and children were doing fine, Bier reportedly went to the toilet but soon she “heard what sounded like a toy dropping, but there wasn’t any crying. Then I heard Aubreanna calling for Bubba, which is her name for Ryder, and she came into the toilet looking for him,” she revealed.
The mother then went on to say: “A few minutes passed and I felt a tiny shiver of worry. I checked the front and back doors just in case, somehow, I’d left them open. But I hadn’t, and there was no sign or sound of Ryder anywhere. That’s when the panic kicked in. As the minutes ticked by and Ryder was still nowhere to be seen, I felt sick with fear. I called Joshua and started to freak out. That’s when I looked at the couch and my stomach dropped to the floor.”
Bier stated: “It’s impossible to describe how it felt to see Ryder there, lifeless and trapped behind the chair’s metal bar. It was like time stood still as I pulled him out, seeing his bluish-purple face.” She reportedly deduced that while playing Aubreanna might have unfurled the recliner before failing to understand that Ryder had gone inside it, she shut it down. Soon the child was rushed to the hospital. “As my precious baby was on a ventilator fighting for his life, I swung from fear at losing him to denial – surely this couldn’t really be happening? Then came the waves of guilt at the fact I’d left the children to go to the toilet, and why had I ever allowed that couch into my house?” Bier said.
Recalling the hard time, she noted, “My tears never stopped. How could they when he was so ill? I was desperate for everything to be okay, clinging to the hope that somehow this could all be fixed. But in my heart, I knew that our life would never be the same again. Ryder’s brain injuries were so severe that he wouldn’t be able to walk, breathe, or eat on his own. He would never talk, and they didn’t know if he'd even see. What kind of life is that for our boy?”
It has been said that on May 20, the infant was shifted to a hospice. Bier said: “We visited him every day, and it was so hard to see Ryder like that. He was there in body but not in spirit. My joyful, giggling 11-month-old boy, who loved his sister and cuddled his unicorn, had already gone. So, when the call came on May 26th that he had passed, I felt glad that Ryder wasn’t suffering anymore. My beautiful boy was finally at peace.”
Though it's really difficult for the family to still live in the same house, they are still there. According to Bier, she dislikes “being here”. “The only reason we bought this bigger place was so the kids would have more space. Now it feels cursed. On what should have been Ryder’s first birthday all I could do was stay home and rest. It was just so hard. As for Aubreanna, who is now three, she points at his picture and starts to cry, calling for ‘Bubba’,” she said.
Bier continued: “I explained that he’s in heaven, that she can talk to him anytime she wants but that he won’t be coming home. How can she possibly understand? I just don’t want her to blame herself. What happened was just a horrible accident,” before adding, “I look at Ryder’s photos and remember what a happy baby he was. He really did enjoy every moment of his life, even though it was so short. To talk about him is my way of keeping his memory alive. You never know how long you’ll have with loved ones, so make the most of every moment. Life really can change in an instant.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been started by the family's closed one to help them. The message on the fundraiser says, “We are graciously asking for people to come together and support the Ross family. I’m going to be very frank about the whole thing, the family more than anything wants to raise awareness and hopefully come up with a solution so that this never has to happen to anyone’s child ever again.
“Mom and dad have been very strong for one another. But obviously with everything that has happened they have both been out of work. Not to mention mom was due to start a new job the day after Mother’s Day. Ryder is survived by Mom Nicaela and Dad Josh and he has two amazing older sisters, Olivia 10 and Aubree 3. We are asking for support for them as they mourn the loss of their son. The last thing we want for this family is to have to worry about a bill or going into debt over this. Whatever you can donate. The family is so grateful to everyone who has stepped up and stepped in. And is grateful to anyone who can help make this process less of a burden as their family mourns.”