Warning to parents after tragic two-year-old Eva-Rose Wainwright death on Devon farmland
Following the tragic death of two-year-old Eva-Rose Wainwright, a coroner has issued a warning to parents.
Two-year-old Eva-Rose Wainwright tragically died while playing on farmland with the family dog. Now, a coroner has warned parents of the dangers of leaving young children unattended.
On June 16, 2023, Eva-Rose had been with her father Charles Wainright, a sheep farmer, who left her playing beside a shallow river, a coroner’s court heard. He returned between 15 and 20 minutes later to find her face down in the slow-moving water.
Despite the efforts of Mr Wainwright and paramedics to resuscitate her, the little girl was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. On Tuesday (January 20), Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Devon, reached a conclusion of accidental death following an inquest at Devon County Hall.
The coroner said Eva-Rose had attended the property in Lifton, Devon, where her father tended to livestock. “While he did so, on this occasion, he left Eva-Rose playing at the river in company with a family dog,” Ms Longhorn said.
“I heard she was left for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and when her father returned, he found her face down in the slow-moving water, unresponsive. Sadly, despite the efforts of attending paramedics, she could not be resuscitated.”
The coroner recorded Eva-Rose’s cause of death as drowning. She said: “This is a truly tragic death of a little girl and I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for her parents.
“This case really demonstrates the dangers that even very shallow water can present to children when they are left unsupervised either in or near shallow water. I can only express my condolences to Eva-Rose’s family.”
In a tribute published after her death, Eva-Rose’s family described her as “adored daughter of Charlie and Kyra-Jo, a loving sister, granddaughter and niece”.
It said: “She will be sadly missed by all her family and friends.”