A mum has issued a safety warning to parents everywhere, after her eight-year-old daughter ended up being ‘hung’ by her own hat during a freak school playground accident.
Australian woman Gail Oster took to Facebook to share the urgent message, after daughter Marley’s neck got caught by the strap of her hat while going down a slide at school.
According to the social media post, the strap of the hat got caught on the slide, and a safety clip that is supposed to open under pressure failed to snap apart, leaving Marley struggling for breath.
“It was a school hat with a QUICK/SAFETY RELEASE CLIP that was supposed to open under pressure – this didn’t happen,” she explained.
In an interview with local newspaper The Advertiser, Gail revealed that Marley was thankfully saved by the actions of her friend, who ripped open the clip with her hands when she saw the little girl was in trouble.
According to a doctor treating Marley, this ultimately saved the poor mite from suffering a very serious injury.
“It resulted in a really bad neck injury. The doctor told me another 45 seconds and her windpipe would have collapsed,” said Gail.
As you can see from the accompanying photos uploaded by Gail, poor Marley was left with nasty-looking wounds to her neck as well as the side of her mouth. She is now recovering with the aid of ‘antibiotics and anti-scar cream’.
While this hat is part of Marley’s uniform, it’s the kind of basic accessory that parents all over the world use to protect their little ones’ heads from the sun – which is why Gail’s safety warning is doing the rounds across social media.
“Either check your child’s hat, that the clip releases under pressure; or cut the cord completely off the hat…Please, if your child has had an injury from school hat – please post a pic of your child’s injury and the hat label,” she urged.
Have you ever had a similar experience with a hat of this style? Would Gail's post make you think twice about purchasing one of these hats for your little one? Get in touch and let us know.
