Boy dies trapped in power chair

An eight-year-old boy died after his neck became trapped while playing with his great-grandmother's electric-powered chair, an inquest has heard.

Lee Entwistle had been riding up and down on the orthopaedic chair during a family trip to his disabled great-grandmother's home in Greater Manchester.

After leaving him alone to play for just a couple of minutes, the boy's mother rushed in to find her son choking with his head stuck between two metal bars underneath the chair.

It is thought that Lee, described as a "lovable little boy, well-liked by everybody", accidentally pressed a button on the chair's handset, bringing the frame down on his neck.

Lee Entwistle: "a lovable little boy"

The inquest at Manchester Coroners Court heard that firefighters used a high-powered cutting device to free the unconscious boy.

Manchester coroner Leonard Gorodkin was told that the boy, who lived with his maternal grandmother, had gone to play with his cousin and visit his great-grandmother on the afternoon of 2 June, 2000.

At the house in Northern Moor, Greater Manchester, Lee and his cousin played "going up and down" on the electrical chair which his great-grandmother, Margaret Duplex, had recently had delivered.

The cousins left in the evening and Lee was left playing while his mother, Zoe Entwistle, made a cup of tea for her grandmother.

'Choking noise'

Miss Entwistle took the drink to her grandmother, who was in bed watching television, and stayed chatting with her for a couple of minutes.

As she did so she heard a noise from the lounge where her son was playing.

In a statement read out by Mr Gorodkin, Miss Entwistle said: "I heard a noise from the lounge.

It did look like an accident waiting to happen

Andrew Miller, neighbour

"I heard a choking noise and came in to find Lee stuck under the chair.

"Lee was lying on his stomach with his head stuck."

Miss Entwistle sobbed as her statement was read out.

"I tried to free him but I was not able to. I became hysterical and ran out into the street."

The inquest heard from a neighbour who ran into the house after seeing Lee's mother screaming in the street.

Andrew Miller told the court that as soon as he heard there had been an accident, he thought the chair might be involved.

"I felt that the problem would be with the electric chair and I knew all the local children had been playing with it as a novelty.

"I had my reservations about it. It did look like an accident waiting to happen."

Frantic call

When Mr Miller got to the living room of the house, he saw Lee lying face-down with his legs pointing out from under the chair with the chair's handset control a few inches from Lee's right arm.

"After initially considering trying to use the handset, I then decided against it.

"There was nothing there to suggest which way to use it or which was the best way to go - whether going upright was going to free him or make it worse."

Mr Miller decided instead to leave Lee as he was, remove the power supply and phone 999.

When firefighters arrived, the inquest was told how they immediately set about removing a metal bar trapping his neck.

But even with the bar removed, Lee's head was still trapped and they were forced to use a hydraulic cutter to free him.

Fire officer Liam Bates told the inquest that once Lee was free, oxygen was administered and attempts to resuscitate him began before he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

The inquest continues.