Coroner warns about children using hot tubs unsupervised

Ethan McGreevy died in a hot tub (stock image)

A coroner has warned about the dangers of children using hot tubs without supervision after an eight-year-old boy died after becoming submerged in water.

Ethan McGreevy had epilepsy and a learning disability.

He died after he became submerged in water in a hot tub, in the back garden of his family home in Dunmurry in August 2022.

The inquest heard that Ethan McGreevy was non-verbal and couldn't swim – but was confident in water.

In August 2022 Ethan was playing in the hot tub after his dinner, after communicating to his parents that he would like to do so.

His mother Nicola Toner was supervising him from the kitchen while his father was upstairs.

Ms Toner became concerned when her son became quiet and had remained in the same position.

Ms Toner said she was not of the view her son had had an epileptic seizure as her son would have been aware of his symptoms when having an attack and would not have asked to get in the hot tub.

Parents warned of risk

The inquest heard that Ethan had suffered epileptic seizures previously but that these had decreased due to medication.

Ethan was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, where doctors said he died due to irreversible brain damage as a result of insufficient oxygen.

The inquest was told how doctors described that there was foam around Ethan's nose and mouth which could be an indicator of drowning, however they said it was also possible that epilepsy could have made him collapse into the water.

The coroner relayed that medical professionals said the fatal sequence was most likely drowning, epileptic seizure or a combination of both.

She said it was not possible to be satisfied what caused Ethan to become submerged in water.

The coroner told the inquest that it was evident that Ethan's parents were loving and caring.

She said Ethan's tragic death highlights the dangers of children using hot tubs without supervision.

She also said whilst Ethan had only been without supervision for a few minutes, she would urge all parents of young children to be aware of the risks of hot tubs before installing them in their homes.