The five-month-old baby who suffered a cardiac arrest at Legoland Windsor has died in hospital.
The tragedy unfolded at the tourist attraction in Berkshire last week, when a woman began screaming for someone to ‘help her baby boy’ while queuing for the Coastguard HQ ride.
Thrill-seekers were left shocked as they watched the upsetting scenes unfold and were quickly evacuated from the scene as two paramedics who happened to be nearby jumped into action to save the infant.
He was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, but sadly authorities have confirmed he passed away on Sunday.
Police officers have arrested a 27-year-old woman from Witham, Essex on suspicion of neglect to cause unnecessary injury, however she has been released on bail until July 26.
Police have confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident, but are keen to speak to anyone who was queuing for the Coastguard HQ boat ride between 11.30am and 12.45pm on May 2.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Zoe Eele, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: ‘We are investigating a distressing incident involving a very young child at Legoland Windsor earlier this week. Firstly, our thoughts are with the family of the boy who sadly died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.’
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of neglect after a five-month-old boy suffered a cardiac arrest at Legoland Windsor Resort (file image)
The boy suffered the cardiac arrest near the Lego Coastguard HQ ride last Thursday afternoon
Matthew Burns, 60, was at the attraction with his family stood at the coastguard HQ when a woman ran over screaming ‘help, my baby’s in trouble’
Matthew Burns, 60, was at the attraction with his family stood at the coastguard HQ when a woman ran over screaming ‘help, my baby’s in trouble’.
The retired paramedic, who spent 40 years in the ambulance service told MailOnline he was first on the scene at the tragedy, and it was ‘a miracle that two medics were nearby’.
Together they gave him CPR for 20 minutes until he started breathing again before paramedics rushed him to hospital for emergency treatment.
He said the boy had been in a baby carrier strapped to his mother when he raced to his aid.
‘I’d been alerted by my son’s girlfriend who shouted over for help,’ he said
‘The other medic had got the boy out of the pouch and had laid him down on top of a bin.
‘It sounds bizarre but we needed a nice flat surface. I said to him ‘I’m a paramedic’ and he replied, ‘so am I’.
‘He did the chest compressions while I looked after the baby’s airways. Due to the fact that we were dealing with such a young baby I had to do mouth-to-nose initially.
‘We carried on working on the boy until first aiders from Legoland arrived with the oxygen and a bag of masks and stuff we needed.
‘Just before the ambulances and police turned up, we got a pulse from the boy and he started to make some slight respiratory effort.’
Riders must be a minimum of 1.3m (4ft 4in) to go on the ride if they are not accompanied by an adult or ‘responsible person’ at least 16 years of age
Coastguard HQ (pictured) is a popular ride at Legoland Windsor Resort and police are asking people queuing for it to come forward if they have any information about the incident
Legoland at Windsor has become the country’s most visited theme park in recent years, attracting 2.43million people in 2022.
In a statement a Legoland spokesperson hailed the actions of Mr Burns and the other off-duty medic and said: ‘We are extremely grateful to medically trained members of the public who provided immediate care, alongside our resort first aid team, until the emergency services arrived.
‘The guest left the resort in the ambulance for further treatment.
‘We’d like to thank the emergency services for their swift response, and our guests for their cooperation.
‘We will continue to support Thames Valley Police with their ongoing investigation.’
DC Eele added: ‘We are supporting them [the family] as best we can at this extremely difficult time.
‘We are working closely with the team at Legoland Windsor Resort but would like to speak to anyone who may have information about this incident, specifically anyone who was queuing for the Coastguard HQ boat ride between around 11.30am and 12.45pm.
‘Get in touch either by calling 101 or via our website, quoting reference number INC-20240502-0977.
‘Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.
‘We have made an arrest in relation to this incident and are not looking for anyone else as a suspect.
‘I would ask for the public to please avoid speculation about the incident and to respect the boy’s family at this deeply upsetting time.’
