Kindergartener died after swallowing a rock on school playground

Publish date: 2024-08-07

Boy, 6, collapses and dies on field trip after swallowing a ROCK

By Christine Show

Published: 19:23 EST, 7 June 2012 | Updated: 04:05 EST, 8 June 2012

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Tragedy: Nikolas Wypa, 6, collapsed and died on his school playground after he swallowed a small rock that wedged in his larynx and blocked his airway

Tragedy: Nikolas Wypa, 6, collapsed and died on his school playground after he swallowed a small rock that wedged in his larynx and blocked his airway

A 6-year-old kindergarten student collapsed and died on a school playground after he swallowed a rock.

Nikolas Wypa was attending a field day on Monday following his morning class at Churchill Elementary School in Norton Shores, Michigan when he suddenly collapsed and later died at a nearby hospital.

An autopsy report revealed today that the young boy had swallowed a small rock that wedged in his larynx and blocked Nikolas's airway.

It is unclear how and why the boy had consumed the rock.

The boy had been playing on a sidewalk with chalk around 1pm as his mother, Lisa Wypa, helped supervise a field day at the school, according to the Muskegon Chronicle.

The boy's older brother, 5th-grade student Lucas, was among hundreds of participants in the festivities.

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Without warning, young Nikolas collapsed and became unresponsive.

After the school called 911, emergency crews tried to revive the boy without a pulse by performing CPR.

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Sudden: The boy had been playing on a sidewalk with chalk during a field day at his Michigan school's playground (pictured) when he became unresponsive

Sudden: The boy had been playing on a sidewalk with chalk during a field day at his Michigan school's playground (pictured) when he became unresponsive

The attempts were unsuccessful as Nikolas's lungs lacked the pressure needed to push the rock out of his body, Norton Shores Police Chief Daniel Shaw told WoodTV.com.

Police do not suspect foul play in the incident.

Officers are looking into how the rock ended up inside the boy.

The boy's death left school officials struggling with the appropriate way to help students understand the devastating news, said Principal Mark Platt to the Chronicle.

'Those kids, they were scared.'

He went on to say that students had difficulty the day after the boy's death: 'Some of them didn’t want to go on the playground. When recess came, they didn’t want to go out there.'

A funeral will be held this Saturday for the boy, who loved playing with Matchbox cars and trailers, his family announced.

'Scared': Churchill Elementary School officials struggled with how to tell students about the devastating news of the death of Nikolas, a kindergartener

'Scared': Churchill Elementary School officials struggled with how to tell students about the devastating news of the death of Nikolas, a kindergartener

Nikolas loved being around other children and was part of several activities, including his local church, his family wrote in a tribute to the boy for the Sytsema Funeral Homes, Inc., where his services will be held.

'Nikolas was a very active and busy boy – a real social butterfly!' the family said. 'He made friends very easily.'

The boy, who enjoyed riding his bike, had a very close relationship with his older brother.

'He always looked up to his big brother Lucas, mimicking everything he did,' the family said. 'They loved building forts, swimming, wrestling, camping and hiking at the Elks Park.'

Although Nikolas's death was a horrible situation, the family said he died 'while doing what he really enjoyed – playing on the playground with his friends.'

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