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Matthew Vendt nearly asphyxiated by 'water bomb' balloon.
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PhotographerAirey, Yvonne Elizabeth nee Blackett. (1945- ) Journalist
DescriptionThese and other small balloons were easily sucked into breathing airways; in Matthew's case, thumps on the back didn't work, and an ambulance rushed him to Hutt Hospital, where a metal tube was inserted. He still had trouble breathing, so was returned to Hutt Hospital and then Wellington, where he had a bronchoscopy and water was flushed down his throat; the process may have sent the balloon to his stomach, as it was not found.
In Matthew's view, such small balloons should be banned. A Hutt Hospital paediatrician was reported as saying that balloons were tha number-one cause of fatal inhalations.Date TakenNovember 1996
DescriptionThese and other small balloons were easily sucked into breathing airways; in Matthew's case, thumps on the back didn't work, and an ambulance rushed him to Hutt Hospital, where a metal tube was inserted. He still had trouble breathing, so was returned to Hutt Hospital and then Wellington, where he had a bronchoscopy and water was flushed down his throat; the process may have sent the balloon to his stomach, as it was not found.In Matthew's view, such small balloons should be banned. A Hutt Hospital paediatrician was reported as saying that balloons were tha number-one cause of fatal inhalations.
Date TakenNovember 1996Part of
About the original
Reference1996 11 27 9FormatColour printSize152 x 100 mm
FormatColour printSize152 x 100 mmScanned byDon McLeod
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Matthew Vendt nearly asphyxiated by 'water bomb' balloon.. Upper Hutt Libraries, accessed 22/08/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/25570