A distraught mum has warned other parents after her 3-year-old daughter became trapped in the washing machine – which was then turned on.

Lindsey McIver, from Colorado, USA, shared this horrifying experience on Facebook. She included a photo of the washing machine, which her husband had recently bought from a hardware store.

“We thought it was the ‘new and cool’ type of washing machine and didn’t think anything of it,” McIver recounted. “We spent that evening installing it with the kids underfoot. We told them several times that they were not to touch it. They all replied ‘OK’.”

The following day, they woke up to their 4-year-old son crying hysterically.

Kloe. Inside. Washer

“As I was trying to understand what he was saying, my husband flew out of bed and down the stairs. It was then that the realisation hit. He had said: Kloe. Inside. Washer,” McIver said.

“By the time we reached the laundry room in the basement, my three-year-old daughter Kloe was LOCKED inside the airtight washing machine. It was tumbling and filling with water. She was screaming but you couldn’t hear her.”

Thank goodness, they were able to stop the machine, unlock the door and get Kloe out safely.

“Aside from a couple of small bumps on her head and wet clothes, she was fine.”

Be Aware Of The Dangers Of Household Appliances

McIver mentioned that the child lock feature prevented the machine from starting, but that it didn’t lock the door

“We did not realise the danger of this machine,” she wrote.

“We are continually surprised at the new, inventive ways our kids come up with to try and die. And this was definitely a new one. We hadn’t even used the machine yet so we hadn’t looked at any of the settings.”

She warned other parents who have a similar machine: “Lock the door with a child safety lock and always keep the child lock setting on!”

It’s just really hard to re-live.

McIver was initially hesitant to post about the experience because of the “inevitable online mum-shaming” and because “it was really hard to re-live”

But, she said, the most important thing to her was to try to help others keep their children safe.

“And trust me,” she added, “that mum is already beating herself up enough.”

Washing Machine Manufacturer Responds

LG, the manufacturer of the machine, commended McIver in a statement to American broadcaster ABC News.

“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,” the statement read. “We encourage people to use this important safety setting and to contact our customer support team if they need any assistance.”

McIver’s post has been shared by more than 305,000 people and received over 77,000 comments.

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