Baby's horrific injuries after 'washing machine explodes'
The young boy was rushed into surgery after what one expert told Yahoo would have been a 'freak accident'.
Parents are being warned about a rare danger posed by certain household appliances after a little boy was injured when the glass window on a front-loader washing machine suddenly exploded.
A panicked mum said the incident "could [have] killed my precious baby" who was rushed into surgery with deep lacerations covering his face and hands.
The unthinkable happened last month when young Marley was "watching the machine go round like he always does," the UK-based mum claimed in a post on Facebook. The 23-year-old said she was cooking in the kitchen alongside her son when suddenly she heard a big "bang".
"I turned around and watched the glass shatter all over my baby's face and hands," she said in the now-viral post. "His lacerations are so bad that he is being taken to surgery."
Horrific photos shared online show the baby covered in his own blood with the door of the Beko washing machine – which retails in Australia – completely broken. Shards of glass were also photographed spread out across the kitchen floor and inside the drum.
Parents urged to act quickly and calm
The mum hoped to raise awareness among other parents and warned them to keep children away from washing machines. The post has since garnered over 33,000 shares and 11,000 comments from worried parents with many admitting they were "shocked" by the incident.
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Sarah Hunstead, founding director at CPR Kids in Australia, agreed it's an "awful" thing to happen, but said it's likely to be a "freak accident". Speaking with Yahoo News Australia, she reminded parents of the importance to know first-aid for babies and children.
"Being able to act calmly, call for help and apply appropriate first aid before an ambulance arrives can directly impact their outcome," she said.
What caused the glass to break?
Similar incidents of glass spontaneously erupting have been reported in the past. In fact, in 2016, the UK consumer website Which? warned households of this very risk after an investigation found 280 appliances, 115 of which were manufactured by Beko, were left with shattered doors after exploding, the Guardian reported in a an article titled; 'How dangerous is your washing machine'.
At the time, experts said the problem was caused by coins, keys and children’s toys hitting the glass at high speed and weakening it over time, however it's not known what caused this particular incident. It was also reported that newer models with bigger doors and higher spin cycles were thought to be more prone to exploding. A major issue, and a common one, is reportedly overfilling the drum.
"I am glad the little fella is ok and send my wishes for a speedy recovery. But everyone should also be aware that often this is caused by overloading the machine increasing pressure on the door," one person commented on the mum's Facebook post. It can also reportedly occur when foreign obstructions such as coins or metal buckles hitting and weakening the door glass, "especially on fast spins," they said.
"Of course it should still be investigated to determine and confirm the cause, to avoid a repeat occurrence. Action needed on exploding washing machines," they argued.
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