Today (Thursday), we had a really scary moment. So scary that I can’t sleep right now. I was a local diner in Nassau County with my two younger kids. We were hanging out in entrance. The place is too small for strollers, so I was carrying my just turned two year old. There were two doors leading into the waiting area. A man came in one door and before I could blink, Skylar stuck his fingers in the hinge area. I screamed and grabbed the door so the man couldn’t open it anymore (or close it). The rest is kind of hazy. (Read More after the jump).
I was screaming for help, Skylar was screaming in pain — I couldn’t get his fingers out. I didn’t know what to do. This had happened once before (with a wooden closet door and he bruised his finger). I screamed and the staff came out to help me. I think I screamed for butter, someone gave me ice for him. It was several minutes. I heard someone yell not to touch the door (turns out later this was my friend Debbie. I couldn’t think about anything except that his fingers were about to be cut off. Luckily, someone brought out a screwdriver (or maybe some other tool and wedged the door hinge open and I was able to get Skylar’s fingers out. Three fingers on his left hand were red and lacerated. I didn’t think they were broken. I looked up and saw two Nassau County Police Officers next to me. I don’t even know how long they had been there. The EMT’s came pretty quickly and even though we didn’t think his fingers were broken I decided to go in the ambulance to Winthrop Hospital, which was just down the road. My friend Jill had taken my daughter into the restaurant, so she wouldn’t get scared. I knew I was going to be at the hospital for a while (it’s never quick in an ER), so I called my father, who lived nearby. He came and got her pretty quickly (she was more upset that she didn’t get her chocolate chip pancakes and didn’t realize that something serious was going on). I rode in the ambulance with Skylar (they had a 5 point harness in the rig, so he was safely restrained in the seat). He was crying the whole time and refused to let me hold the ice pack on him. Due to working with the RBabyFoundation, I knew to ask if there was a pediatric emergency department when the EMT’s came and we were brought right in (they advise to find out if nearby ED’s have pediatric specialists or a dedicated pediatric emergency department).
My mother met us at the hospital. The doctor examined him and although it was swollen, he didn’t think Skylar’s fingers were broken. After a couple of hours, and x rays, he was released. Since this had happened before, I had been careful around doors at home with Skylar – but I never considered that he would actually stick his hand in a door hinge.
Hours later, all is right in his world.
This could have ended really differently and I am thanking my lucky stars that it wasn’t worse.
Anyone else had any close calls like this?
The exact same accident happened to my 4 years old son tonight. My mom panicked and screamed for help and I came running from the kitchen to see his middle finger (right hand) got stuck right at the joint just above the nail area. We completely had no idea which direction should we turn the door and didn’t move at all luckily we had a neighbor during that time sitting with us he came and checked with the opposite door then only he made sure and got my son’s finger released. He also cried like hell. Now I’m worried about the swelling part.
I would definitely call your doctor and see if you can get him in for X-rays. I hope he is okay. My son turned out to be fine, but I felt better knowing.
OMG Nancy, you told me briefly what happened but I had no idea! So scary indeed. I’m glad Skylar is okay and nothing was broken. I hope it didn’t take them as long as it seemed to get his fingers out. Kisses!
WOW very scary and sounds like something both my kids would do. You handled it well and I’m glad he’s doing ok.