A TRAGIC schoolgirl who collapsed in front of her mother would have ‘most likely’ survived if a paramedic had shocked her with a defibrillator, an inquest heard.

However, medical staff who treated Lilly-May Page-Bowden at the gates of Willowbank Infants School decided not to use the machine, and she was not given an electric shock until she arrived at the Royal Berkshire Hospital 30 minutes later.

Her mother Claire Page burst into tears as she heard the devastating opinion of an expert paediatrician that paramedic Shannon Jacobs should have known to use the machine.

He said the electric shock would probably have saved the five-year-old’s life.

An inquest held into her death was halted however so Senior Coroner for Berkshire Peter Bedford could gather evidence as to why the paramedic thought she should not use the defibrillator.

However, Michael Jackson, a consultant paramedic, told the inquest: “It’s my opinion that rhythm strip should have been treated by delivery of a shock.

“I would have expected the shock to have been delivered and failing to do that in my opinion is a serious error.”

Dr Edmund Ladusans, a consultant paediatrician cardiologist, added: “I think on the balance of probabilities that if she had received defibrillation at that first opportunity then it’s more than likely she would have survived.”

Claire Page told the court her daughter’s last words were ‘look how fast I can run’ before sprinting off through the crowd.

The next time she saw Lilly-May the five-year-old had collapsed on the floor by the gates of Willowbank Infants School in Duffield Road, Woodley..

Emergency services arrived at the scene at 15.24 on May 5 2014 and rushed Lilly-May into the back of an ambulance. However, records revealed that her heart rate was not checked until five minutes later, and Mrs Jacobs decided not to give the schoolgirl an electric shock as she was convinced the young girl was in a “non-shockable rhythm.”

She claimed that she had not learned how to treat a child in non-shockable rhythm at her course at Oxford Brooks University, adding: “When practicing the paediatric patient was always in a non shockable rhythm.

“At no point have we run thorough a scenario where a child is in a shockable rhythm and we hadn’t practised shocking a paediatric patient.”

Mr Bedford stalled the inquest at Reading Town Hall to gather more evidence about the training course at Oxford Brooks University.

He said: “I would be extremely uncomfortable in considering a conclusion without knowing the nature of the training that paramedic Jacobs has received.”

Claire Page launched a sudden arrhythmic death syndrome campaign following her daughter’s death, which has seen defibrillators placed in schools across Berkshire.

She has visited schools and spoke to children about the importance of defibrillators, as well as raising funds for essential staff training.

The Lilly-May Page Trust has raised thousands of pounds since it launched.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/lillymaypagetrust/ for more.