Toddler caught on camera silently strangling on a window blind cord as his mum filmed

Toddler caught on camera silently strangling on a window blind cord as his mum filmed

A toddler was caught on camera silently strangling on a window blind cord as his mother filmed the rest of the family playing together in the living room.
Gavin Walla, from Wisconsin, US, can be seen in the horrifying home video hanging limply from the looped window blind cord, which is wrapped around his neck.

Gavin's mother was filming a home video of her children playing together in their front room when she suddenly notices the toddler has stopped breathing.
Immediately, she drops the camera, screaming her son's name as she desperately tries to untangle the cord.
Thankfully, her quick actions saved Gavin's life and he's heard in the video coughing and spluttering as he gasps for breath.

Gavin, who is now 17, wants people to see his home video in the hope of raising awareness about the very real dangers of window blind cords.
He told ABC News: "I'm glad that it's out there. It saved the lives of other children that have been fortunate enough to have parents who have seen the video."
It is thought more than 100 children have died in window blind cord accidents since Gavin's.

Elliot Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission told ABC: "I see decades, and I'm talking decades, about children once a month getting hanged to death by these products and it's got to stop."
The government first identify the window blinds as a hidden danger over 30 years ago.
But the cords remain a potentially deadly hazard to this day with many manufacturers still using them on many of their products.

Ralph Vasami, the head of the Window Covering Association, an industry trade group, admitted that the hazard is still present but has been reduced by new safety features including breakaway cords and string that can be tied at a height children can't reach.
They however do not recommend that corded window blinds should be used in homes with children.
Source: Toddler caught on camera silently strangling on a window blind cord as his mum filmed