‘Benedict was dying in front of us' – Dad recalls son's tragic last moments after rushing to his school when he vomited

The Sun

20 hours ago

A DAD recalled his son's tragic last moments, as he desperately tried to save the five-year-old's life.
Peter Blythe was called to his son Benedict's school after the tot vomited twice during break time.
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He arrived at Barnack Primary, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, to find Benedict unconscious on the floor and staff frantically trying to revive him.
The tot - who was in his first year at primary school and was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts - had suffered a serious allergic reaction.
'Benedict was dying in front of us and I could not believe what was happening,' Peter said during an inquest at Peterborough Town Hall.
The retired RAF senior aircraftsman immediately began CPR but struggled to clear mucus blocking Benedict's airway.
Music teacher Dave Read, who was working outside the reception class at the time, saw Peter enter the room and then heard him yell.
He stepped in to help as he was first aid trained.
'It seemed the right decision to take over CPR, as Mr Blythe was crying. But he was not in any way doing a bad job,' Dave said.
'Everyone was working together to do the right thing. At the time, the CPR felt like it was working.'
Peter and school staff continued to perform CPR for ten to 15 minutes before paramedics arrived.
Benedict's mother Helen got there just two minutes later, at the same time as an air ambulance.
He was taken to Peterborough City Hospital but pronounced dead shortly before 1pm.
His cause of death was given as food-induced anaphylaxis.
The tragedy unfolded on December 1, 2021 when Benedict, who was allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame and chickpeas, vomited during breaktime.
He showed no other signs of an allergic reaction and teaching assistant Sophie Brown said that she assumed the sickness was related to an illness earlier in the week.
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The youngster had been kept home on November 30 as he had been unwell and vomited in the night, the inquest was told.
Sophie , who was trained in first aid and was aware of the boy's allergies, told the inquest: "He was off the day before so I assumed it was a bug."
She didn't recall Benedict asking for his blue asthma inhaler.
She said if he had, then she would have taken it as a sign that he was having an allergic reaction and fetched his epi-pens immediately.
She told the inquest: "When I said 'are you feeling OK?' he said 'good'. He said 'no' to his mouth being tingling, there was nothing on his body that showed any hives."
Sophie said Benedict changed his clothes before he vomited a second time ten minutes later.
His class teacher Jenny Brass took him outside to get some fresh air. It was at this point he collapsed.
'I heard Jenny shouting my name and she was carrying Benedict inside,' Sophie told the inquest.
'He was floppy and appeared to be unconscious. His skin was grey-blue which I took to mean he was in shock and I immediately got his bag and administered his EpiPen.'
The signs of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis + what to do
SYMPTOMS of an allergy usually occur within minutes of contact with with the offending food or trigger, but they can also come on up to one hour later.
Most allergic reactions are mild but they can also be moderate or severe.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
In some cases, anaphylaxis symptoms lead to collapse and unconsciousness and, on rare occasions, can be fatal so it's important to know how to recognise them and act quickly.
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
Itchy mouth, tongue and throat
Swelling of lips, around the eyes or face
Red raised itchy rash (often called nettle rash, hives or urticaria)
Vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Runny nose and sneezing
Severe symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
Swelling of your throat and tongue
Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
Feeling tired or confused
Feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
Skin that feels cold to the touch
Blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet
Anaphylaxis and its symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.
Follow these steps if you think you or someone you're with is having an anaphylactic reaction:
Use an adrenaline auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) if you have one – instructions are included on the side of the injector.
Call 999 for an ambulance and say that you think you're having an anaphylactic reaction.
Lie down – you can raise your legs, and if you're struggling to breathe, raise your shoulders or sit up slowly (if you're pregnant, lie on your left side).
If you have been stung by an insect, try to remove the sting if it's still in the skin.
If your symptoms have not improved after 5 minutes, use a second adrenaline auto-injector.
Do not stand or walk at any time, even if you feel better.
Sources: Allergy UK, NHS
She added that she could feel Benedict breathing and placed him in the recovery position.
When he stopped breathing she began to perform CPR.
Paramedics and his father were called and Peter arrived shortly afterwards.
Benedict was one of three children in the class with known allergies.
Sophie said she had not seen any written allergy management plan for him but had received online anaphylaxis training and online and in-person training on how to use an epi pen.
The jury heard that Benedict, who lived in Stamford with his parents and younger sister Etta, had eaten a McVities gingerbread biscuit as a break time snack, which he had brought in from home.
He had refused a carton of oat milk and drank water instead.
Helen, Benedict's mum, previously told the inquest jury that vomiting was "always" the first symptom of his allergic reactions, but "how it played out after that varied".
She said the youngster was "well aware" of his allergic reactions and had woken up "as normal and in good health" that morning.
The mum also told how she was "terrified" after learning Benedict had fallen ill.
She continued: "The day Benedict died, our world broke but what's even more unbearable is the knowledge that we weren't alone.
"Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe - curious, funny, kind and loving - and the world should have been safer for him."
The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in his memory by his family last year.
Along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), the charity launched the schools allergy code to protect children with allergies and set out how schools can keep pupils safe.
The inquest is scheduled to continue for the rest of the week, with other school staff and health professionals due to give evidence.
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