8 Year-Old Girl Dies After Inhaling Helium And Then Suffocated By Balloon

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In Portland, Oregan an eight year old girl has died after inhaling helium from a mylar balloon and then suffocating.

The girl had a Mylar balloon in her bedroom, a huge number three which was from her father’s birthday party earlier that day. Later that evening when her dad went into the room to check on her, he found her unconscious with the balloon over her head.

The father initially tried to revive his daughter and so did emergency responders for over an hour, but it was already too late.

As the death has been ruled an accident no official investigation will be done.

Who would have thought that such a household item, which is usually associated with good times, could end up being deadly? This is exactly what this family is finding hard to come to terms with.

It may come as a surprise, but according to the CPSC, of all children’s products, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death, according to CPSC injury data. CPSC states that “Accidents involving balloons tend to occur in two ways. Some children have sucked uninflated balloons into their mouths, often while attempting to inflate them. This can occur when a child who is blowing up the balloon inhales or takes a breath to prepare for the next blow, and draws the balloon back into the mouth and throat. Some deaths may have resulted when children swallowed uninflated balloons they were sucking or chewing on.”

What can you do to prevent balloon related incidents?

  • Do not allow young children to play with balloons without any adult supervision
  • If a balloon breaks, immediately collect the pieces of the broken balloon and dispose of them out of the reach of young children
  • Older children should be made aware of the dangers of making ‘balloons’ by sucking on broken balloon pieces.
  • Never allow a child to bite a balloon – If a child bites a rubber balloon, it may explode, sending fragments into the mouth.
  • Do a first aid course and learn how to do CPR – you could potentially save your child’s life if an incident occurs.
 RELATED: CPR: How To Video

16 Comments

  1. Martha Scogins

    May 14, 2016 at 2:08 am

    Scary.

  2. Lupita Barrios

    May 14, 2016 at 4:02 am

    Nick

  3. Acosta Patty

    May 15, 2016 at 1:47 pm

    Cristina Martínez

  4. Susan

    August 9, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    Sounds kinda fishy too me wonder????

  5. Andrea Leon

    August 10, 2016 at 12:55 am

  6. Norma C Rodriguez

    August 10, 2016 at 1:14 am

    Stephanie Placido. Santiago Joseph Rodriguez

  7. Erica Rokx

    August 10, 2016 at 1:56 am

    Maricar San Andres Marinel San Andres

  8. Mara Jelena Ilicic

    August 10, 2016 at 2:04 am

    PPatrick Ivorycannot let bel near this stuff

  9. Karla M. Prz

    August 10, 2016 at 2:24 am

    Diego

  10. Jessica Jones

    August 10, 2016 at 2:57 am

    I think the headline is a little misleading. It seems the cause of death was suffocation? Inhaling the helium didn’t kill her, the balloon itself smothered her, right?

  11. Griselda Soñanes

    August 10, 2016 at 5:35 am

    Daisy Daira Sandoval

  12. Tina Hall

    August 10, 2016 at 6:13 am

    Hayley Pinel

    • Hayley Pinel

      August 10, 2016 at 6:45 am

      Geezus. Thanks for heads up. I might take this as a sign to remove them all from her room tonight then huh.

    • Tina Hall

      August 10, 2016 at 6:57 am

      I know! Momo was the first thing to pop in my mind when I read this

  13. Alissa Harding

    August 10, 2016 at 7:37 am

    I’m confused after reading this. What does inhaling the helium have to do with how she died? It seems as the balloon landed on her face while asleep?? And she suffocated?? What are the odds of that happening? Pretty insane and tragic.

  14. Lore Ca

    August 10, 2016 at 11:29 am

    Víctor Calderón Cabrera

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