Hampshire schoolboy dies while playing on rope swing in back garden

Schoolboy dies while playing on rope swing in back garden

17 Jul 2010

A mother tried in vain to save the life of her nine year old son after he had an accident on a rope swing in their back garden.

Schoolboy Jamie Bray had only been home from school for half an hour when he became tangled in a rope and broke his neck at the £800,000 home.

The keen horse rider had been playing in the garden alone, while his older brother Sam, 11, played indoors.

Their mother, Sarah Bray, frantically called an ambulance and successfully resuscitated Jamie but he lost consciousness again.

He was taken to hospital by air ambulance but was tragically pronounced dead a short while later.

Mrs Bray yesterday paid tribute to the schoolboy, who she described as the "funniest, cleverest, cheekiest little boy in the world."

Posting on her Facebook page she said: "My beloved son Jamie, fell off his swing and broke his neck.

"I gave him resuss and he started to breath again but he was never able to carry on breathing without help.

"He was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital.

"There are no words to tell you how much I love that little boy. He was the funniest, cleverest, cheekiest little boy in the world.

"I just feel like dying. I can't imagine how we are going to live without him. He was my baby and he is gone forever."

The five bedroom detached house in Bishops Waltham, near Southampton, Hants, is set at the top of a 20 metre dirt track and is surrounded by fields.

A horse, horse box and stables are set to the left of the 1980s property.

An inquest into the child's death has been opened.

Yesterday the Central Hampshire coroner's office listed the possible cause of Jamie's death as "hanging."

A tree house by the property's front gate had flowers and a candle laid underneath as a tribute to the boy yesterday, following his death on Tuesday.

A police source said: "The young boy was playing on a rope swing in the back garden of his family home.

"He had only been home from school for about half an hour when he got tangled in the rope, which was hanging from a tree.

"His mum found him and called an ambulance. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 6pm.

"His brother was also at home at the time. This appears to be a tragic accident."

A female neighbour said she had heard the air ambulance arriving that day.

She said: "I heard a terrible noise and looked outside and saw an air ambulance coming into land.

"The helicopter set down in a field opposite not far from the house. I only heard the next day there had been a tragic accident.

"It's such a tragedy for such a young life to be taken. It's so terribly, terribly sad."

Family friends offered their condolences to Sarah, Sam and father Richard on social networking website Facebook.

Nancy Harris said: "There are no words that are good enough.

"There will always be a hole in our hearts that was filled by the naughtiest, lovable happiest boy that always made us laugh."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7895463/Schoolboy-dies-while-playing-on-rope-swing-in-back-garden.html

OMG how awful!

Shnuffel, it is really tragic and reminds me of what happened years ago to a very good Friend of mine who
had twin boys aged 11 yrs at the time. One of them was climbing a Tree and slipped from one of the branches,
the toggle of his Anorak got caught around his neck and the branch and he was strangled to death.

A tragic accident. RIP little boy

Heartbreaking - RIP little man.

Very sad.

Panda wrote:

Shnuffel, it is really tragic and reminds me of what happened years ago to a very good Friend of mine who
had twin boys aged 11 yrs at the time. One of them was climbing a Tree and slipped from one of the branches,
the toggle of his Anorak got caught around his neck and the branch and he was strangled to death.

I hate to see heartbreaking tragedies like this and my heart really does goes out to the poor lad's family. If anything, tragedies like these serve as a reminder of how precious our children are and how we should cherish every single moment with them.