Terrifying Moment That a 3-Year-Old Got Stuck In A Washing Machine: Mother Shares Warning

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Installing a washing machine is an exciting time especially when you have a toddler running around the house. But, just days after getting their new washer installed, a Colorado family had to deal with the worst kind of emergency. Their toddler was trapped in a front loader washer as it started its cycle. Lindsey Mclver felt there was no other choice, but to share this terrifying moment.

She says that she woke up to her 4-year-old son “crying so hard he could barely talk.” She didn’t seem to understand right away, but luckily her husband Alan was able to figure it out. Three-year-old Kloe was stuck in their appliance while it was still running. Once they understood this, they ran to the basement to get to the laundry room to see their little girl inside the drum of the machine.

child front load washer
via Vladeep/Shutterstock

Alan told Good Morning America “I could tell she was screaming, but the machine’s airtight, I yanked on the door. I pulled so hard that I moved the machine from the wall, but it’s locked. You can’t get it opened.”

One Mistake Could Have Cost The World

For anyone, of course, this would be a highly stressful and terrifying moment and your reaction time can be jumbled. However, these parents managed to stop the cycle and get Kloe out swiftly. Luckily, this poor little girl managed to escape this disaster with just a few bumps and bruises.

Lindsey says “After going through all the ‘what if’s and ‘could have’s we know we are very blessed.” in a post that went viral. Of course, Lindsey was worried about the shame she would receive posting about this terrifying moment. But, she wanted to make sure other parents didn’t have to go through this too and needed to share the potential dangers to the world.

Parents’ washing machine warning after their three-year-old got locked inside their front-loading machine while it was on. @ErielleReshef has the scary story: pic.twitter.com/cSS277Z2p4— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 16, 2018

The day before this accident happen, Lindsey and Alan purchased and installed their new machine. They didn’t have the chance to check any hazardous settings on the washer. They did, however, warn their children to not go near the machine or touch it. It was also one of those moments where you would never imagine two toddlers being able to figure out how to turn it on in less than a day. Linsdey tells GoodHousekeeping.com that “We believe that my 3-year-old daughter climbed inside and that my 4-year-old son closed the door and pushed start.”

Her post goes on to explain that it’s almost a daily occurrence where children try to find new ways to injure themselves and it’s not anything new, which I completely agree with! Her warning about the dangers of washing machines was shared more than 350,000 times. She says “I was not expecting to go viral,” “It’s been overwhelming. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it all.”

This Terrifying Moment Could Happen To Anyone

For anyone that owns a front-loading washing machine, heed this warning. This has not been the only moment where something like this has happened. In 2009, a 4-year-old girl in Southern California passed away after climbing into the drum of the washer. It’s said that when she climbed in, her younger brother proceeded to turn the machine on, AP reports.

But, don’t stop there because it’s not only an unsafe place for toddlers but your furry friends too. My siamese ball of fur likes to climb in the dryer to nap A LOT. It may not be a washer, but I have to check it all the time before doing laundry. Carolyn Forte the Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab advises to never leave your children unsupervised in the laundry room. Make sure to set up the child-proofing immediately when you get your machines. “It’s designed to disable the controls so the machine can’t be started and some even lock the door,” she explains.

Best Way To Keep Your Child Safe?

Now knowing the horrors that can occur, Lindsey installed a physical child safety lock on the outside of the wall because her LG model doesn’t lock the door.

LG told ABC News in a statement that “We applaud Ms. McIver for telling her story and share in her efforts to make sure that consumers are aware of the child safety lock feature,” “We encourage people to use this important safety setting and to contact our customer support team if they need any assistance. LG customer support can be reached at 1 (800) 243-0000.”

Acknowledging Ones Mistake

Of course, there are ways this terrifying moment could have been avoided, but Lindsey acknowledged this in her post. But, you can take comfort in knowing that this is not a mistake that is not a rarity. Many parents in her comments have confirmed that she was not alone in this. “This is a wake-up call for many of us,” one parent wrote.

The mom of three acknowledged in her post that they could have avoided this accident, but thousands of commenters reaffirmed that she wasn’t the only one to make this mistake.

These are just two of the many comments that were left under her post:

“This is a wake-up call for many of us,”

“Thank you for sharing this,” another person added. “You most likely saved another child by doing so.”

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