A 10-month-old baby girl was found trapped underneath the body of her father, three days after he died suddenly of cardiac arrest.
Authorities in Louisiana were alerted to the horrifying situation when the girl’s five-year-old brother went to neighbours saying that he thought his father was dead.
It’s unclear why it took so long for the boy to look for help, or how he survived in the meantime. He was examined in hospital and is uninjured.
The infant was severely dehydrated when paramedics found her, suffering a seizure when she reached hospital. She also had blisters and bruises from the ordeal. She is currently being treated and is expected to make a full recovery.
Ron Rivers, the Deputy Coroner for Sabine Parish where the family live, reported that 43-year-old Jason Fields seems to have died instantly. Although only in his 40s, the dad-of-two had a history of heart problems.
“It looked like he was sitting on the side of the bed on his computer, fell backwards and died," he said. "The fact that he fell on her and made no attempt to get up tells me he died instantly when he fell on top of her.”
“The baby was dehydrated, It was able to breathe, expand its chest up and down ... We're very blessed that the baby didn't succumb.”
The children’s mother was serving a jail sentence when the tragic incident occurred, but has been given early release in order to care for her two children.
