Sara Moosa: 10-month-old drowns in bathtub after plastic toy blocks plughole while mom stepped away
LEICESTER, ENGLAND: A ten-month-old girl lost her life after a plastic toy covered the plug hole of the bathtub, resulting in the filling of more water than required, which ultimately led to the drowning of the tot. An inquest into the death of Sara Moosa was told that the baby girl’s twin brothers were with her when the unfortunate incident happened.
The little one met the tragic end in just five inches of water as the children’s mother went to get a toy for them. The inquest was held at Leicester Town Hall, Manchester Evening News reported. It also stated that as Sara and her two siblings were placed inside the tub by their mother, one of the boys demanded his shark toy.
RELATED ARTICLES
The tragic last minutes of disabled boy, 6, who fell and drowned in river after father was assaulted
A failed attempt at resuscitation
The mother reportedly went to fulfill the demand but forgot to switch off the tap, which was running without the plug-in. Later, after returning she discovered the toddler drowned in the water-filled tub as her face was completely submerged inside it. The agonized parent immediately called 999 and acted according to the ambulance operator’s instructions to revive Sara.
But nothing happened. After paramedics reached the scene, they also tried repeatedly to get her heartbeat before transporting her to Leicester Royal Infirmary on August 14, 2022, where she was declared dead. An autopsy was conducted, which revealed that Sara’s cause of death was drowning.
‘Toy had blocked the plug hole’
Coroner Isobel Thistlethwaite, in a report, mentioned, “Sara and her two siblings were in the bath with the water running but no plug-in. One sibling requested a toy. The mother returned and she noticed another toy had blocked the plug hole.”
The coroner added, “The two siblings were standing up and Sara was on her side, under the water. No concerns were raised by the police following an inspection of the scene.”
Similar incident
In another similar incident, a little boy died while receiving a swimming lesson in Hephzibah, Georgia, as reported previously. Israel Scott was only four when he lost his life in June 2022 in his second class. His mother Dori Scott reportedly said, “It happened on day two. I signed my son up for a week of swim lessons. [The instructor] told me the parents weren't allowed to stay because I guess the kids didn't act right [with parents there]. I waited in my car and got a knock on my window [from a parent] saying 'come get your baby'."
She went on to explain, “It wasn't time — they still had about six minutes left. I looked at her again and saw tears in her eyes. That's when I started screaming because I figured something was wrong. My whole life changed in a matter of moments. I cried and screamed all the way up there and when I got there, my son was on the side of the pool while they were administering CPR. He was unresponsive.”
“I could tell by looking at him that he had been under the water for some time because he was foaming at the mouth and had no heartbeat. I stood at the pool screaming 'let me hold my baby'. They wouldn't let me hold him of course because they were doing CPR and chest compressions. I have so many unanswered questions,” Dori added.