Justice, O Justice, where art thou?

Marshmallows at a bonfire

A child's recent death at Aleh Negev has received meager coverage. In fact, as far as I can tell, it was not reported in English anywhere.

Below is my translation of a version of the tragedy as published by a Hebrew news service:

Death of A Girl at a Rehabilitation Village: Police to Investigate Suspicion of Negligence 

The funeral of five and a half year old girl from Ashdod who choked to death from eating a candy at the rehabilitation village Aleh Negev near Ofakim was held today. Staff members at the village who were witnesses gave testimony to police and are expected to give further testimony as the investigation progresses.
The girl, who apparently choked while eating a marshmallow, was buried today at the cemetery in Ashdod where she lived. Prior to the funeral, a dispute erupted over carrying out an autopsy on the girl's body. Last night, the police requested an order authorizing an autopsy from the Magistrates Court in Beer Sheva due to suspicions of negligence.
The court acquiesced and determined that an external exam should made concurrent with the freedom to do an autopsy.
This morning, attorney Dror Shusheim of Zaka's legal department submitted an appeal to the High Court of Justice and minutes before the hearing the State Prosecutor announced that the State accepts the appeal and is releasing the body without an autopsy.

As we all are aware, marshmallows pose a choking risk even for non-disabled children. This girl attended a school at Aleh which caters - as Aleh itself boasts incessantly - to children with severe disabilities!

In fact, several of the reports I saw conveyed a response from Aleh which included the following (again, my translation from Hebrew):

"Due to her complex medical condition since birth, the girl was cared for during a prolonged stay in the complex nursing section of the village with much devotion by our devoted professional staff who cared for her from the day she arrived. About a year ago, thanks to her improved condition, the girl was released to live in the community, medical oversight continuing within the framework of the health fund (kupat holim in Hebrew) to which she belonged and she received therapies to improve her development within the framework of the special-ed school at the (Aleh) village."  

These notes are extracted from an official New York State health-focused website:

Choking Prevention for Children | Choking Injuries and Deaths are Preventable!

Choking Hazards | Foods:
Hot dogs (especially cut into a coin shape), meats, sausages, and fish with bones
Popcorn, chips, pretzel nuggets, and snack foods
Candy (especially hard or sticky candy), cough drops, gum, lollipops, marshmallows, caramels, hard candies, and jelly beans
Whole grapes, raw vegetables, raw peas, fruits, fruits with skins, seeds, carrots, celery, and cherries
Dried fruits, sunflower seeds, all nuts, including peanuts
Peanut butter, (especially in spoonfuls or with soft white bread)
Ice cubes and cheese cubes
Foods that clump, are sticky or slippery, or dry and hard textured
Food size and shape, especially round or a shape that could conform to the shape and size of the trachea (windpipe). The size of a young child's trachea (windpipe) or breathing tube is approximately the size of a drinking straw in diameter.

From Kol Ha'Ir Jerusalem, May 26, 2000

Back in the year 2000, a similar tragedy occurred at an Aleh institution.

In that case too, the resident, an 18 year old, died

"after she choked apparently as a result of aspiration - the inhalation of the stomach's contents into the lungs. A doctor at the institution testified that after the youth received her meal and despite her previous incidents of aspiration, she was left unsupervised. "The caregiver came to turn her over and found her completely blue", the doctor said."

The journalist who wrote the report of the incident [copied on the right] told me that the case was closed by police because the family of the child refused to authorize an autopsy.

His brief article appeared in the local Jerusalem paper a clipping of which I saved.

There is more to say on this.