A 3-year-old boy has died after his school allegedly gave him a grilled cheese sandwich despite knowing he had a severe dairy allergy.
The school in Harlem, Manhattan is closed while officials investigate the tragic death of the toddler.
It has been reported that Elijah Silvera was at the Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services in Harlem on November 3rd when the incident took place. The child went into anaphylactic shock after eating the cheese sandwich. He was rushed to hospital but unfortunately, they were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead.
A family friend, Liz Murray who has set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family explained a bit more about the heartbreaking incident.
“Our beloved Elijah was playing peacefully at his pre-k in Harlem, NYC, when he was given a grilled cheese sandwich by an adult at the pre-k, despite them knowing and having documented that he has a severe allergy to dairy. Elijah went into anaphylactic shock and was taken to the Pediatric ER at Harlem Hospital, where, tragically, they were unable to save him,” she writes.
The school in question could be in serious trouble as the New York City Department of Health decided to close it down for failing to follow its written safety plan and failing to adequately supervise a child which is in violation of the health code, according to PIX11 News.
(HOWARD SIMMONS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)
In a statement, the Department said, “There is nothing more important than the safety of our children and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will get to the bottom of what happened here. In the meantime, we’re closing the Center for Family Services and continuing to aggressively investigate what happened and whether the facility could have done something differently to prevent this tragedy.”
So far there has been over $39,000 raised on the GoFundMe site where all proceeded will go towards cooked meals for the grieving family, financial support for time off work, funeral and memorial expenses and finally towards the cost of a second independent autopsy.
The family are seeking answers and desperately want to find out what happened to little Elijah, thus the need for a second autopsy.
“It is unclear where responsibility for Elijah’s death will fall between the pre-k and the hospital itself. There are protocols that both the hospital and preschool must follow. We want to find out exactly what caused Elijah’s death and that will mean sorting out exactly where, if any, breakdowns may have occurred at either the school or the hospital. Having a third party medical examination will ensure our ability to get a clear picture. We just want justice for Elijah.”
https://www.gofundme.com/SayingGoodbyeToElijah
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