Alaska State Troopers are investigating, but suspect no foul play, in the death of a North Pole two-year-old was killed in a Thursday night home accident.
The North Pole Fire Department emergency medical personnel responded to a call for assistance with an unresponsive child in distress at 9 pm on Thursday at a Cassier Street address in North Pole.
According to the trooper dispatch, while the child’s father, 33-year-old James Shakoske was working in the garage, the two-year-old child, Dehlia Shakoske, who was in the garage with her father, climbed or pulled on the handle of a 22-gallon air compressor that was in the garage causing it to topple over.
When the compressor, which weighed approximately 75 pounds, toppled over, it fell on the young child’s chest. As a result, the child went into respitory distress and began drifting in and out of consciousness.
EMS transported the child to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where doctors worked to save the young girl’s life, but doctors were unsuccessful in their efforts, and she died at 2 am on Friday morning.
The State Medical Examiner’s office was notified of the accident and the young girl’s death and an autopsy was ordered.
Th family of the child was present at the hospital when she passed away.
Alaska State Troopers responded to the residence and conducted an investigation at the scene and interviewed the parents. No foul play is suspected in the incident.