The distraught family of a five-year-old girl who died suddenly in Adelaide’s west say she suffered a suspected asthma attack while her mother was out buying her an inhaler.
Emergency services were called to Ballater Ave in Seaton just before 4pm on Wednesday following reports the child was unresponsive.
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Paramedics treated her at the scene before taking her to hospital where she died.
The family said she suffered an asthma attack and lost consciousness while her mum was at the shop to purchase the inhaler.
Her great-uncle said the girl was “very loved” and her death was “tragic”.
“She had a long life in front of her. Sadly she’s not here now and the family just want some peace and quiet … and to mourn by themselves,” Anthony Wanganeen said.
The street was locked down as detectives took statements from neighbours and collected evidence on Wednesday evening.
A schoolboy has told how he was walking home and saw the girl’s father carrying her from their property and screaming for help.
The teen jumped into action, calling triple-0 from a phone box near the property.
“I told (emergency services) there was a man screaming the name of a child. He was holding a child that was limp,” Jabar Stanikzai said.
“I thought that I might have saved a life, you know. My brother showed me the news — the five-year-old child was dead.
“I got really sad because I have a sister who is three, turning four this year. After I went to bed I thought, ‘What if that was my sister, what if that was my brother’.”
Devastated neighbours laid flowers outside the family home on Thursday.
Police have said there is no official cause of death at this stage and the matter is still under investigation.
“A report is being prepared for the coroner. Until such time as this process has been completed, and the coroner has made their final determinations, the matter remains under investigation,” police said.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said his thoughts are with the girl’s family.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare — the idea of losing a child. I can’t begin to imagine what they’re going through at the moment,” he said.
“I just feel for them.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.