Mum learned two-year-old son was dying in horror phone call after she popped out for 20 minutes

Speaking for the archetypal clip astir Carter Walsh's death, his devastated parent Samantha Walsh described the toddler arsenic her "best friend" and "the pome of our eyes"

A mum discovered her two-year-old lad had died - amid a tragic accident - successful a chilling telephone telephone aft she'd popped retired for 20 minutes.

Samantha Walsh was made alert of two-year-old Carter Walsh's sedate state erstwhile her niece rang her connected Wednesday. The teen told her sister Carter had "banged his head" but, successful fact, a marble fireplace collapsed - aft its bottommost conception “snapped” - and fell connected him astatine the household home.

Samantha, 38, feared the worst and rushed backmost to the spot successful Wigan, Greater Manchester, wherever paramedics were desperately trying to prevention small Carter connected Wednesday afternoon. However, the lad died successful hospital.

Speaking to reporters contiguous for the archetypal clip since the tragedy, mum-of-four Samantha said: "He was my champion friend. He was well-loved, not conscionable by his household but by anybody that met him. He broke the hearts of everybody helium met... He was the pome of our eyes."

Carter had enjoyed the "best time ever" with relatives connected Wednesday - and got to conscionable his grandmother's equine - and played with his relative and aunt Natalie Prescott, 35, astatine his location erstwhile Samantha popped out. Less than fractional an hr later, catastrophe struck and an ambulance was called to the address.

Natalie said: "The fireplace, it conscionable collapsed successful the middle. It was giving and it’s conscionable collapsed and it’s conscionable travel forward. It was a marble fireplace." The property's landlord, who was astatine the code fixing a boiler astatine the time, phoned 999 and paramedics dashed to the scene.

Natalie's girl past called Samantha, who began to panic. Samantha said: "She was precise calm astatine archetypal and she conscionable said ‘You request to travel home, Carter has banged his head.’ I don’t cognize if she was doing that to support maine calm.

“I was waiting for a taxi, and I was connected my mode home, and past I conscionable kept ringing her. And each clip I rang her, I could archer it was serious. She started to panic due to the fact that she knew I was connected my mode back.

“I rang my mum. She came and picked maine up. And erstwhile I got there, they were inactive moving connected him – the ambulance and the police. They fto maine spot him, and past they said, ‘Right, we request to get him to hospital'."

Samantha said her mum, who is simply a nurse, had warned her to hole for the worst aft they recovered retired that Carter would not beryllium airlifted to hospital. She added: "They said, 'We’re going to Wigan [hospital].' I knew then, determination was nothing… due to the fact that they cancelled the aerial ambulance. My mum is simply a caregiver astatine the hospital. So she knew arsenic well. So she conscionable said, ‘Prepare yourself erstwhile you get to the hospital.’”

Devastated Samantha said erstwhile she saw Carter connected the ward, helium had looked ‘peaceful’ and determination were nary signs that helium had suffered a life-threatening injury. She said: “It was conscionable 1 caput injury.

"But helium conscionable looked truthful peaceful… There was nary bruising oregon thing to his face. The chopped was covered over. There were nary disposable injuries. He’s had loads of checks astatine the hospital. They’ve said helium had been steadfast [prior to the accident]. Everything was fine.”

Samantha said that erstwhile Carter was born, helium had concisely been looked aft by foster carers earlier she took afloat complaint of him. She was struggling to travel to presumption with her beingness present the small lad had passed away.

Samantha said: “I had to combat for him backmost retired of foster care. I did that, I got him back, and I’ve spent each time with him since. He’s been with maine present astir 2 years, obviously. He was my champion mate.

“I’ve been backmost to the house. I couldn’t enactment there. I went to enactment with my sisters. I went backmost yesterday to cleanable up, obviously, due to the fact that determination was blood."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said yesterday that they were supporting Samantha and her family. He said: “At astir 2.15pm connected Wednesday September 18, officers were called to reports regarding a interest for payment of a kid connected Fisher Close, Wigan.

“Sadly, contempt the champion efforts of paramedics, a two-year-old lad aboriginal died astatine hospital. Enquiries are ongoing and officers are supporting the household astatine this time.”

A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service added: "We attended an incidental astatine a backstage code pursuing a 999 telephone astatine 14.06. An ambulance, aerial ambulance, effect vehicle, precocious paramedic attended. A diligent was taken to infirmary by road."