A mother wept on Tuesday morning as the Griffith Local Court heard that it took an ambulance 12 minutes to get to her daughter.
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The coronial inquest into the death of a 12-year-old girl at the Griffith Show in 2012 began yesterday and it is expected to run for three days.
The court heard the girl had been happy and in good health when she attended the show with her friends at about 4pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012.
She began to feel ill after a dodgem car ride and then collapsed.
The court heard that friends called Triple-0 at 9.08pm but an ambulance was not dispatched until 9.17pm.
The court is expected to hear from police, ambulance officers, doctors, friends and family.
The role of an inquest is to determine facts surrounding a sudden and unexpected death.
Show patrons were shocked when the young girl staggered off a dodgem car ride and collapsed to the ground.
Onlookers immediately rushed to her assistance and two began performing CPR, while others called triple-0.
NSW Ambulance Service grievance contact officer Markus Zarins told Fairfax Media in 2012 that when paramedics arrived at the tragic scene, the girl was in cardiac arrest, believed to have been brought on by an asthma attack.
“The girl was treated on scene for cardiac arrest,” Inspector Zarins said.
“She was transported to Griffith Base Hospital but was pronounced deceased on arrival.”
A witness recalled seeing the girl as she came off the ride.
“She went really white, she didn’t look well at all,” he said.
“She just walked off and collapsed.”
Griffith Show Society treasurer Denny Fachin said his thoughts went out to the girl’s family and the tragedy had put a dampener over the remainder of the show.
“It did affect the committee quite badly when we woke up to what had actually happened,” Mr Fachin said.
“It really got to us and we’re very sorry for all her family.
“Anytime anything like this happens it is really sad … people didn’t want to believe it was true.”
Asthma can usually be controlled with effective clinical care, appropriate medications, and by following a written asthma action plan. Asthma can, however, be fatal.
The National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) was formed in about 1989, partly in response to the high number of asthma-related deaths at that time.
Asthma-related deaths in Australia have now dropped from a peak of 964 in 1989 to less than half that number today.
