Back from the dead: Young mum's terrifying laundry nightmare
A young mother who suffered a massive electric shock in her laundry was miraculously brought back to life and now she has a message for every Australian family
Now the Melbourne mother, Haylee Rouget, is embracing a second chance at life and wants to warn others of the potentially deadly danger lurking in many homes.
The 22-year-old was clinically dead for several minutes after touching her laundry tub, which has been electrified by a damaged power cord.
“They found me against the window sill, slouched over the trough and Trent had to actually pick me up and throw me across the laundry to be able to do CPR on me,” Haylee told 7 News.
“I couldn’t feel a heartbeat, I tried looking for a pulse but couldn’t find a pulse, she wasn’t breathing,” husband Trent told 7 News.
Haylee wasn’t expected to live, but after six days in a coma and three weeks in hospital, she’s home, healthy and she has a vital message.
“We just want people to understand that this was totally avoidable,” Haylee said.
What happened to the young mother could have been prevented by the installation of a simple safety switch.
They’re compulsory equipment on all new homes, but thousands of houses built in the mid 90’s and earlier don’t have them.
“So currents leaked out of the circuit, electricity leaked out of the circuit, and a safety switch would have measured that and turned it off in .03 of a second,” Sean Arthur from Smarter Electrical Solutions told 7 News.
It’s as simple as going and checking your fuse box to see if you do have a safety switch.
Energy Safe Victoria says a safety switch is the last line of defence in a well-maintained home electrical system.
“Call an electrician, get a general wiring check, particularly if it hasn’t been looked at for some time and get a safety switch installed,” Paul Fearon from Energy Safe Victoria told 7 News.
“I’ve got a bit of a saying that we live by and that is, a safety switch is far cheaper than a funeral or a lawsuit,” Arthur recommended.
