Eight years after the tragic and sudden death of 20-month-old Lorenzo Miranda, a coroner’s report has finally revealed the cause—and the critical oversight that may have cost the toddler his life. Described by his family as a “happy and energetic” boy, Lorenzo died in November 2017 after collapsing in his parents’ car just hours after being picked up from Little Monkeys Preschool in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
His mother, Beaudene Wi, recalled that Lorenzo stopped breathing and turned “a horrible green colour” on the way home with her and his father, Ricardo Miranda. The couple had dropped Lorenzo off at 2:00 p.m. and collected him at 4:30 p.m. Not long after, he began to show alarming symptoms.
At Palmerston North Hospital, doctors struggled to determine the cause until a CT scan revealed a brain bleed. Despite intensive medical intervention, including emergency surgery, Lorenzo—lovingly called “Loz” by his family—passed away around 4:00 a.m.
Only now, after years of unanswered questions, has a coroner’s inquest provided clarity. According to a report obtained by Stuff, Lorenzo died due to brain swelling and haemorrhaging caused by a “short-distance fall with head impact.” Forensic pathologist Dr. Martin Sage concluded the fall led to a traumatic brain injury and that “death could have been avoided” had the incident been recognised and properly addressed.
“Had the fact of a significant fall onto his head been appreciated at the daycare centre… There is a very significant possibility that he would have survived this injury,” Dr. Sage stated. The investigation revealed that around 2:30 p.m., Lorenzo had been eating cake at a small table with a teacher and other children. After leaving the table, the teacher heard him crying and found him lying on his back.
Though he cried briefly, he later returned to activities, dancing to music, playing with rabbits, and having afternoon tea. When he became sleepy and developed a high temperature, it was attributed to skipping his nap. No injury was mentioned to his father at pick-up.
When contacted by Lorenzo’s parents that evening, preschool owner Jenny Hall reportedly said he “might have” had a fall earlier, but since no one witnessed it, she “thought nothing more of the incident.” A WorkSafe investigation found “no failures” under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 but acknowledged the real issue was the “failure to recognise a potential head injury.”
The coroner determined the fall occurred around 2:30 p.m., and the four-hour delay in medical treatment was critical. “If the appropriate medical intervention occurred at an earlier point in time, the outcome for Lorenzo is likely to have been different,” the report concluded. Had treatment begun within an hour, “there is a very significant possibility” Lorenzo would have survived.
