Inquest into Anaphylactic Death of 5-Year-Old Boy Reveals Important Consideration

[Trigger Warning]

An inquest has begun into the death of a “kind-souled” five-year-old boy, Benedict Blythe, who died on December 1, 2021, after collapsing at his school. A jury at Peterborough Town Hall heard that the first-year student at Barnack Primary School in Lincolnshire, England, suffered a severe allergic reaction, ultimately leading to his death in the hospital. The investigation aims to uncover the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

Elizabeth Gray, the district coroner, officially recorded the cause of death as food-induced anaphylaxis. She informed the jury that Benedict had several known health issues. Gray stated, “Benedict was five years old at the time of his death. He suffered from asthma and a number of allergies, including milk and an egg allergy.” These pre-existing conditions were a central part of his daily life.

The inquest detailed the events of December 1, when Benedict went to school after being home sick the previous day. According to the coroner, he vomited after eating a biscuit he had brought from home. After he vomited a second time, he was taken outside for fresh air, where he “collapsed.” A teaching assistant administered an epinephrine auto-injector, but Benedict was “not responding.” He was rushed to Peterborough City Hospital, where he later died.

Benedict’s mother, Helen Blythe, provided evidence, stating she firmly believes an allergic reaction was the cause of his death. She told the inquest that the school had been given a management plan for his allergies and that he was “well-aware” of his condition. Despite having been unwell the night before, she said Benedict “woke up as normal and in good health” on the morning he died. Mrs Blythe added, “I believe he had an allergic reaction and this is what caused his death.”

In a moving tribute, Ms Blythe described her son’s vibrant personality, noting he was both intelligent and deeply compassionate. “Quick-minded and kind-souled, Benedict’s love of ‘playing numbers’ was one hint to why he joined Mensa when he was four,” she said. “His superpower was his kind heart, and it’s that kindness that is so missing from our lives… He lived with allergies and chronic asthma… but he never let it define him.”

Helen Blythe shared her profound grief and her feeling that more should be done to protect vulnerable children. “The day Benedict died, our world broke but what’s even more unbearable is the knowledge that we weren’t alone,” she said. In a powerful statement, she concluded, “Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe – curious, funny, kind and loving – and the world should have been safer for him.”

In his memory, the Benedict Blythe Foundation was established to help establish a school allergy code.

The inquest continues.

We send our sincere condolences to Ms Blythe and the Blythe family at the heartbreaking loss of their young son. We hope the conclusion of the inquest will bring them some measure of closure in their long journey toward healing.

As we do when we report these tragedies, we seek strategies that others in the community can use to prevent similar outcomes.

Benedict had eaten a cookie he had brought from home when his symptoms began to manifest. We assume the cookie was labeled as free from his allergens since his family was diligent in keeping the boy safe.

Although he received a dose of epinephrine, we don’t know how much time passed between the onset of symptoms and the administration of the dose, nor do we know whether a second dose was available and should have been administered when he failed to respond. Apparently, the boy vomited twice before he was given the shot, so the delay in being administered the only drug that can halt and reverse the progression of anaphylaxis may have contributed to his death.

We do know that Benedict had vomited the day before and was kept home from school, presumably from a cold or common viral infection. This raises an important consideration: infections can lead to poorer outcomes from anaphylaxis.

As quoted in the study “Identifying Patients at Risk of Anaphylaxis,” published in the World Allergy Organization Journal in 2024:

Cofactors that augment the severity of clinical symptoms and increase the risk of poor outcomes include exercise, stress, infectious diseases, underlying mast cell disease, active allergic disease such as asthma, advanced age, intake of certain medications, history of previous anaphylaxis, and delayed or missed administration of adrenaline [epinephrine].

Benedict was already at heightened risk due to his asthma and was kept home from school the day before due to an illness. The combination may have exacerbated his reaction.

We encourage you to discuss your or your child’s food allergy with an allergist to determine whether co-factors, such as viral infections, warrant extra recovery time before returning to regular activities outside the home.