How little Ethan’s first night in his new bed ended in tragedy

A UK boy died after his head became lodged in a new bed on the first night he slept in it, an inquest has heard.

Four-year-old Ethan Wade was discovered unresponsive in his new medical bed when his father went to wake him on the morning of July 1, 2021.

Ethan had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and the specialist Olaf bed had been installed for him in the family’s home in Chatham, Kent.

Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus

Ethan was also non-verbal, and suffered reflux and global development delay, as well as mobility issues.

Both parents said Ethan’s bed was left at its lowest level, as was recommended, when he was put to bed the night before.

In the morning, his father found him face-down, unresponsive, and “floppy”. It was believed Ethan had suffered respiratory arrest.

Ethan’s father pulled him free and yelled to Ethan’s mother, Jessica Gardiner, who dialled the emergency number before administering CPR as instructed by the ambulance operator.

Paramedics then took over, “scooping” Ethan to their van, where they continued resuscitation with help from a critical care worker for about 25 minutes.

When a heartbeat was detected, Ethan was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital.

However, he was later transferred to King’s College Hospital in London, where his condition deteriorated, and he died four days later.

Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Virginia Fitzpatrick-Swallow recorded the cause of death as hypoxia, a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain and consistent with entrapment.

She noted the nose and mouth had been covered, resulting in a “degree of smothering”.

Red ladder-stripe marks on Ethan’s neck and collarbone could have been caused by the “puckering” of the mattress.

Fitzpatrick-Swallow told the inquest: “There was no underlying independent, natural disease that would explain respiratory arrest.”

The investigation

After Ethan’s parents raised the alarm about 8am, a uniformed police officer arrived at the specially-adapted terrace in Newham St wearing body-worn video to record his conversations with the parents.

In one clip, the father is heard saying Ethan’s younger sibling, who slept in the same room, had been known to “play” with buttons.

However, on cross-examination during the inquest, the father “did not recall” saying that.

At the time of the initial investigation, the bedroom was sealed off and a detective inspector and forensic officer attended to take pictures and examine the scene.

No evidence of criminality was found, and police agreed to the father’s request to remove the bed the following day.

On July 8, the bed was inspected, and no defects were found.

The inquest heard the bed was delivered and installed by Theraposture ,which specialises in tailor-made, adaptable furniture.

New bed delivered

At the time, driver and trained installer Sam Tucker took away Ethan’s old bed and put up the new one, carried out a risk assessment of the property, did the usual safety checks, gave a demonstration of functions and offered advice.

Tucker said Ethan’s father, with whom he did the handover, seemed “competent” as he was already familiar with the Hannah bed, which Ethan had temporarily used after breaking his cot.

The Hannah bed had fitted padding and a mechanism handset with a key, which the parents said they had kept on the top of a wardrobe in another room — out of reach of their other children.

In comparison, the remote for the newly-delivered Olaf bed was hung over the top of the rail, and neither parent could recall seeing the key.

Giving his evidence via video, Tucker said Ethan’s father raised no concerns, issues or questions and, on her return, Ethan’s mother had signed the paperwork, which he placed in a folder and sent off to his employees.

However, during their evidence, Ethan’s parents said they were concerned with Velcro strips on the bed because Ethan had a habit of stripping off Velcro on his leg splints.

They also claimed they had been promised a new bed, but the one delivered was 10 years old, dirty and had Paw Patrol stickers on it.

They also said Tucker did not leave a user manual or a copy of the completed checklist when he left the house.

Tucker has since left the company for “completely unrelated reasons”. His boss David Holton gave evidence praising his work and his capability.

Holton, chairman and co-owner of Theraposture, told the inquest jury his company had a contract with well-respected German firm KayserBetten which abided by stringent EU directives and independent testing.

In the 20 years he had been dealing with the Olaf bed, it had never been subject to a recall.

Detective Inspector Sulling Chan told the inquest she went to the Wade family home on the morning of the accident, when she was briefed by an officer before she examined the room and bed looking for any other evidence.

Regarding the handset, she said: “I recall seeing a chain, but not a key. But then at the time I wasn’t looking for a key, it wasn’t an issue.”

Assured that a crime had not been committed, and no third party was involved, she came away with three hypotheses, including mechanical error, natural causes, or user error — with the first two being ruled out.

She told the court: “There was no evidence for an alternative explanation.”

Chan was present at a second inspection of the bed on July 17, 2023, along with Ethan’s parents and legal representatives from Theraposture, Medway Community Healthcare and Medequip, which supplied equipment on behalf of Medway Council.

On that occasion, she could see the key clearly attached to the chain on the remote control, and the bed was in good working order.

Ethan’s medical care

Ethan and his twin, who died three days after birth, were born prematurely at 27 weeks and suffered several serious medical conditions.

After spending three-and-a-half months in a specialist baby care unit, Ethan was allowed home under the care of physios and occupational therapists employed by Medway Community Healthcare (MCH).

At 18 months, when his parents recognised he was not reaching the usual milestones, Ethan was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

MCH children’s physio Joanna Hovenden observed Ethan from when he was a baby and described him as “inquisitive” and very speedy, with no safety awareness.

“He’s best described as a like a bull in a china shop,” she told the inquest, but added, while he could pull himself up to standing, he would not have been able to reach the bed handset.

She said his balance was poor, and he would have found it “challenging” to hang on to the rail.

Occupational therapist Emma Rayfield helped to select specialist equipment for Ethan and chose the Olaf bed after looking at all options because it met his medical needs.

She ordered it online from Rochester-based Medequip.

Rayfield said she helped his mother apply for the interim Hannah bed, which arrived on June 22, after Ethan broke his cot by bouncing on it. She then chased up the new bed for the family.

Normally when a bed has been ordered, she would get an email from Medequip notifying when it is due to be delivered and then a confirmation when the job has been completed.

She would then arrange a home visit to ensure everything was in order.

Rayfield told the inquest no such communication was received with regard to the Olaf delivery to the Wade household.

After hearing all the evidence, the inquest jurors decided “user action” was to blame and delivered a conclusion of an accident.

After the jury reached its conclusion, assistant coroner Catherine Wood addressed Ethan’s parents: “My sincere condolences on the absolutely devastating loss of your child. I can’t imagine how difficult this entire process has been.

“I am truly sorry for your loss and hope the inquest process has helped answer some of your questions and it’s brought you some closure.”

‘Light and soul of our lives’

After the verdict, Ethan’s mother said his condition never held him back and he had a contagious laugh.

Paying tribute to her son, she said: “Ethan was the light and soul of our lives. He was such a happy-go-lucky boy, always had a smile on his face that made you smile.

“He was such a larger-than-life character. Ethan is forever loved, cherished and adored by myself, his dad, brothers, sisters and all who knew him.

“When Ethan roared with laughter, no one could resist laughing along with him, his laugh was so contagious.

“He loved to whizz around on his walker — we called him our little pocket rocket. If you came to visit our house, everyone knew to watch your feet, or he would run them over.

“Ethan also loved to hum a tune, despite being non-verbal you got to know them.

“He loved to visit the park or just a simple trip shopping. Ethan would get so excited, especially if it was food shopping.

“Ethan loved his food, but was very particular when it came to chips. McDonald’s chips or any frozen chips just were not acceptable — he loved nothing more than good old-fashioned homemade chips.

“He was born against all odds at just 27 weeks, and he spent three-and-a-half months in hospital.

“He was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and we were told he wouldn’t do half the things he achieved.

“A true warrior, he learned to roll over, crawl and walk with his walker.”

Family friends Daisy and Lily Campbell said: “We will miss Ethan’s cheeky smile whenever you entered the same room as him.

“His laugh was so infectious and he was determined to never give up — he was such a strong little warrior taken far too soon.

“We all treasure the memories he left. For a boy so small he achieved so much.

“Ethan’s memories will forever live on in all who knew our cheeky boy.”

If you or someone you know has suffered pregnancy or infant loss, you can contact Pink Elephants Support Network or Red Nose Australia.