There is a certain level of risk involved in doing any physical activity in a school setting. Bumps and bruises are bound to happen from time to time on the playground or during physical education class. But for the most part, parents trust that their kids are safe at school.
Tragically, one family's worst nightmare recently came true. Their 4-year-old daughter was involved in a freak accident during a PE class, and they're still trying to piece together what happened that led to her death.
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Sidra Atmane's head became stuck during PE.
On March 29, Sidra Atmane went to a gymnastics lesson at her school and left in an ambulance. The PE class began at 11 a.m. at Sint-Martinus school in Burcht, Belgium, The Mirror reported. Somehow, Sidra got her head trapped between the bars of a climbing frame.
Her gym teacher attempted to resuscitate her.
“[The gymnastics teacher] started resuscitation attempts, and afterwards the ambulances took over," Sidra's parents told local media, reported The Mirror. "They had to resuscitate her for 45 minutes.”
Sidra was reportedly in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital shortly after noon.
At the hospital, Sidra's family had hoped she would recover.
By Sunday, Sidra's condition seemed to stabilize. This gave her family hope that she might pull through. Tragically, she took a turn for the worse on Monday. She died on Tuesday, April 2.
Her cause of death has not officially been announced.
As of writing, Sidra's cause of death has not been announced. However, she reportedly had difficulty breathing as a result of becoming stuck, resulting in a heart attack.
"We have yet to learn the exact cause of death," school director Geert De Corte told local media, reported news website Need to Know. "As there are a lot of questions about that, it is not yet clear what exactly happened.”
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Her mother remembers Sidra as a 'very healthy and cheerful child.'
“Sidra was always a very healthy and cheerful child," her mother told local media, reported The Mirror. "We are also very angry.”
Meanwhile, De Corte told local media, per Need to Know, "This incident has hit us very hard. We are all trying to process it together."
