Teenager Faith Wignall was a bubbly, outgoing 14-year-old and a top student who excelled at sports and academic studies. She died in February 2022, after inhaling butane gas.
Teenager Faith Wignall was a bubbly, outgoing 14-year-old and a top student who excelled at sports and academic studies. She died in February 2022, after inhaling butane gas.
Warning: This story contains details of substance abuse.
A day of fun and a planned sleepover for two best friends ended in tragedy after they decided to “huff” from an aerosol deodorant can.
Faith Nadine Wignall, 14, and her friend had spent the day at a birthday party, swimming, eatingtakeaways and chatting on social media before they went to a dairy and bought the deodorant.
The friend thought Faith was joking when, after huffing from the can, she fell to the ground, shaking.
She soon realised Faith was gasping for air and called for help. But Faith died in hospital from the toxic effects of butane.
Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave said in her findings released this morning that no one who knew Faith could have taken steps to prevent her death, because no one knew she was experimenting with huffing, a slang term for inhalant abuse.
Neither was her school aware of any issues with students huffing.
A coroner says Faith Wignall's death was a tragic accident, and in circumstances that were not new for coroners.
“If Faith and her friends were discussing and experimenting with huffing, I am satisfied that this occurred without the knowledge of adults in her family or at school,” the coroner said.
Faith’s death was a tragic accident, and in circumstances that were not new for coroners.
“Previous comments and recommendations have been made, but deaths continue.”
Bright, bubbly teen
Faith belonged to a close Whakatāne family and was a top student who excelled in sports and academic studies.
She was bubbly, outgoing, fit and healthy, the coroner said in her findings.
On February 12, 2022, Faith and her friend had been to a child’s birthday party, gone for a swim, had McDonald’s, and then on to the friend’s house, where they planned to have a sleepover.
The two teens, who had been best friends since Year 7, then watched Netflix and TikTok, before they headed to the local dairy to buy a bottle of aerosol deodorant.
Each had experimented with huffing in the past, when no one else was home.
Sleepover turned tragic
When they returned from the dairy, they went into a bedroom, huffed two or three times from one of the cans, then stopped to watch more TikTok.
About half an hour later, Faith said she wanted to huff again. Her friend said she told her not to.
Faith took another can and, soon afterwards, fell to the ground, shaking. The friend called another friend, who came to the house with her grandmother.
On the way, the friend’s grandmother called an ambulance.
On arrival, she found Faith propped up slightly against the bed, grey in colour with blue lips. She could not find a pulse, but laid Faith down and started CPR.
Paramedics arrived and continued CPR before taking Faith to Whakatāne Hospital, where further resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Faith died in the hospital on February 13, 2022, from what pathologist Duncan Lamont later said was consistent with butane toxicity.
Dangers of butane gas
Forensic toxicologist Helen Poulsen said aerosol cans such as deodorants frequently used butane gas as a propellant.
Inhaling butane could initially elevate someone’s mood, but it depressed the central nervous system, she said. Users might experience disorientation, euphoria, excitement, hallucinations, delirium and delusions.
The direct toxic effects associated with deaths from acute volatile solvent abuse included anoxia (lack of oxygen), slowing of heartbeat and cardiac arrest, respiratory depression and disturbance of heart rhythms.
She said butane was also an asphyxiant. In sudden acute asphyxia, unconsciousness might be immediate. Slower development could lead to rapid pulse and breathing, air “hunger”, dizziness, reduced awareness and rapid fatigue.
As the asphyxia progressed, nausea, vomiting, collapse, unconsciousness, convulsions, deep coma and death were possible.
Coroner Schmidt-McCleave said that, based on the series of earlier coronial findings, which had since been built upon, she made no further recommendations but encouraged relevant agencies to continue their work in this area.
Faith’s school sent its aroha and awhi to her whānau and friends and spoke of how much the school community continued to mourn her loss.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government, for the Nelson Mail.
