Baby boy dies on first day of St Lucia holiday with family after falling out of bed

A family have paid tribute to their "best little boy" who died on the first day of a when he .

Tommy Taylor-Mclean, seven-months, was rushed to St Jude Hospital but later died in St Lucia on April 2, East London Coroner’s Court was told. Initially, Tommy had seemed fine after the accident, before his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital. He was treated by St Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort, where it was discovered he had suffered a bleed on the brain and he later died. An inquest into the tragedy opened in Walthamstow on Wednesday, April 9, after his little body was repatriated to the UK.

READ MORE:

Senior coroner Graeme Irvine said he would ask the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to help obtain key evidence gathered by the authorities on the island of St Lucia. He said: "It indicated Tommy had been on holiday with his parents.

"They had arrived in St Lucia on the first of March and early in the trip Tommy had fallen from a bed and injured himself. It seems a post-mortem examination was undertaken in St Lucia. The full extent of the investigation has not been disclosed to the court.

"It seems to me this is a tragic set of circumstances and I want to offer my condolences to Tommy’s parents for their tragic loss."

In the wake of the tragedy Tommy's family have for the hospital who cared for him. His mother and father, Hannah and Matt, wrote: "Sadly on the first day of our family holiday in St. Lucia, our precious 7 month old son, Tommy, passed away following a tragic accident.

"He was the best little boy and brought so much joy and happiness to everyone that met him. We are totally lost without him, but take comfort in knowing the number of lives he touched in the short time he was with us.

"In Tommy’s honour, we have decided to raise funds for St Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, where Tommy was cared for with such compassion by wonderful doctors. In particular, Medical Director, Doctor Adelaide Moonie."

St. Jude Hospital was devastated by a fire in 2009 which destroyed the surgical and paediatric wards and the operating theatres. The hospital is still without the facilities, which the family are attempting to raise money for.

It has so far raised £13,000 of its £25,000 target. The tribute added: "All the staff treated Tommy with such care and compassion, but sadly there were not the resources to operate on Tommy. We would love to raise money for the paediatric ward to be able to help other children.

"Sadly, our baby boy Tommy lost his life, but we would love to try and help save other children and babies in the future, in our precious son’s honour. He will forever live on in our hearts and minds. Any donation you are able to contribute would be greatly appreciated and means the to our family."

Tommy's full inquest was scheduled for November 24 as a result of a delay in the paediatric post-mortem reports.

"It seems the circumstances of Tommy’s fall have not resulted in any criminal investigation in St Lucia. I should make absolutely clear. That causes me real concern. It seems to me it will cause significant upset to the family and I’m very, very sorry for that.”