A two-year-old girl tragically died on Christmas day after falling into a garden pond, an inquest has heard. Isobel Abigail Maxwell was found in the water at her home in Doncaster as her family attempted to resuscitate her before paramedics arrived
However, she could not be saved despite emergency efforts. A hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court was opened and adjourned on Monday by senior coroner Nicola Mundy. Coroner’s officer Scarlett Harrison told the court the incident was reported to South Yorkshire Police at about 4.45pm on December 25 by the ambulance service, and Isobel was confirmed dead just over an hour later.
Ms Harrison said: “There was information passed to the police to say that Isobel had unfortunately fallen into a pond at the family home. The family commenced CPR straight away, called 999, CPR was ongoing for 25 minutes before Isobel was blue-lighted to Doncaster Royal Infirmary.”
Ms Mundy adjourned the case until September 14, when a full inquest will be held. Following her death, Isobel’s mother Tamara Wallace thanked hundreds of people who contributed to an online fundraiser to create a memorial fairy garden.
Ms Wallace wrote on Facebook: “Everyone who knows Isobel and us knows how gifted she was, and that she lived more in her two years than some children did in a life time.
“The generosity has been outstanding, we are very much keeping each other close and being suffocated with love, which is absolutely what we need.
“We also want people to remember Isobel for the magic girl she was, and the adventure and fire she had in her soul, and how much light she brought, not for her sad passing.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Isobel’s aunty Abigail Maxwell as she recalled the “tragic accident” and “living nightmare” that happened at a family gathering on Christmas Day.
Ms Maxwell explained how Isobel had been playing with her daughter in the house and disappeared for “a moment”, falling in the pond, which had a temporary fence around it.
She said: “We couldn’t find her for a moment and, in that moment, she’s gone in the garden and fell in the pond. As you can imagine, this is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to parents, to lose their baby. She was so happy, so loved and they were the best parents who gave her the most wonderful life.”