Posted on 12/22/2005 3:57:09 AM PST by beaversmom
REDMOND - A freak accident involving a popular toy has killed a 2-year-old boy. And now, Kenny Sweet's parents hope that other parents can learn from their tragedy.
It was Thanksgiving Day when Kenny was rushed to Kirkland's Evergreen Medical Center emergency room with what his mom thought was the stomach flu. But five minutes later, Kenny had died.
"I heard 'code blue' and I was hysterical at that point," Penny Sweet said. "I thought maybe if we all could pray at the same time that we could pull him out, but no amount of prayers or people could save him at that point."
The King County Medical Examiner's report blames his death on a toy. The autopsy found tiny magnets -- smaller than the eraser on a pencil -- in Kenny's intestine.
The magnets were encased in plastic building blocks toys that Penny's 10-year-old son had been playing with. Penny says some of the magnets fell out, and Kenny apparently found them in the carpet and swallowed them.
"It's very dangerous. Who can police this?" asks Kenny's mother.
Doctors found the magnets in Kenny's small intestine -- one at the top and one at the bottom. The magnetic force was so great it connected both ends, twisting his intestine and forcing deadly bacteria into his blood stream.
"It does say there is a choking hazard on here," Penny Sweet said. "Unfortunately, they don't say it causes serious injury or death, which is the kind warning they need to have on here."
Dr. Tony Woodward, Children's Hospital Chief of Emergency Medicine, is not connected with Kenny's case, but he explained what happens when the intestine is twisted: "As it twists farther, you lose blood supply to the intestine. Once you lose blood supply, then it starts to die."
Mega Bloks, based in Montreal, manufactures the toy. It's one in a series called Magnetix.
A spokesperson for the company said that in nearly 70 years in the toy business, this is the first death resulting from one of their toys. The spokesman said the Magnetix toys are still on the shelf, but Mega Bloks is investigating.
With Christmas just days away the Sweets didn't want to wait for the company's findings, they want to warn other parents immediately.
Mega Bloks reported Kenny Sweet's death to The Consumer Product Safety Commission. The commission confirmed for KOMO 4 News it does have an "open investigation."
Mega Bloks says it's up to the commission to decide if the toy should be pulled off toy shelves.
In October, Toy Wishes, a self-described family entertainment guide, named the Magnetix as one of the top 12 toys for Christmas this year.
Ummm, ya... OK...
A terrible tragedy for parents is to lose a child, regardless of the circumstances.
"Ummm, ya... OK..."
Definintely a very tragic story, but I'm with you -- it's awfully hard to accept this story, despite the fact that there are probably hospital reports substantiating it.
This happened in my neck of the woods, and I saw her on the news.
The magnets are very, very strong and I doubt the doctors are just making something up.
It does sound weird but on one of the links about the story they included a picture of the magnets pulling together with a finger between them.
And I'll bet there's a lawyer who is ready to help that learning process along.
My sons have some super duper magnets--not as small as what these things are. My three year old decided to stick them in a squirt bottle with a small opening. I could not pry those things apart. I had to cut the bottle open to get them out of there.
You are probably right about the lawyer. It was a freak thing. I don't think it would be likely to happen again.
I guess if you are going to eat magnets, eat only one at a time. Man, am I glad my daughters are grown.
My father died from this. He had taken so much painkillers for his cancer that his intestine became impacted and his blood was overrun with bacteria. Sepsis killed him, not the cancer.
Prayers for the family. This is awful. Sounds as though the injury took some time to manifest - hours at least and probably a day or days.
"What happened is that two magnets were separated by a few centimeters in a length of bowel. This bowel then looped on itself, as bowel often does in the abdomen as it goes about its digesting business, bringing the walls of the two portions of bowel together. The magnets then stuck together."
This is the rational explanation that was lacking in the original story, which stated that the magnets were at opposite ends and were so strong that they flew together and closed off the bowel. Thanks for the concise clarification.
WHO DO YOU THINK?
Compared to the stuff we did?
I was into chemistry. At one point, I got a jar of Sodium Nitrate.
I also had some very thick pyrex glass tubes. So me and my brother would manufacture our own powder, and test various catalysts.
Sealed the end of the tube. Put some powder in it. Set it horizontal on a mount, and put a BB in there.
Put a burner under it, get the heck out of the bedroom, and wait for a loud THUD!!!
Then try to figure the velocity by how straight the bb went...
Mom told me a few years ago before she passed that it was a dam good thing she didn't know what we were up to, or she woulda kicked our butts...
Merry Christmas, mom and dad.
I'm still tryin...
George Bush?
Wow, poor kid and his family. What a freaky way to die.
And put a few extra dollars into their pockets.
It's a wonder any of us, especially those of the male gender, makes it to old age.
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