Australian Toddler Has A Memorable First Encounter With A Vending Machine

By - 240 words

Language

Reading Level

Listen to Article

Photo Credit: Melbourne Fire Brigade via cbc.ca

The expression 'caught with a hand in the cookie jar', took on a whole new meaning on Sunday, February 28, when a young Australian boy got his hand stuck inside a vending machine. The chain of events leading to the bizarre incident began just after noon, when four-year-old Leo Shorthouse saw a vending machine filled with all kinds of yummy goodies in a hotel lobby in Melbourne, Australia.

Like most kids, Leo rushed over to get himself a treat. The only problem? The young boy who was visiting from Arnhem Land, a remote region in the Northern tip of Australia had never seen a vending machine before. He, therefore, assumed that the treats were free and stuck his hand inside to grab one. Unfortunately, Leo reached in so far that the machine's anti-theft device sensed his hand and trapped it.

Photo Credit: seven network

Though emergency personnel were immediately summoned, it took the team of twelve experts that included firefighters, police, paramedics and a locksmith, almost six hours to free the young boy. They had to be careful that the angle grinder being used to cut open the vending machine would not injure Leo's hand, which had to be numbed thrice during the ordeal.

Fortunately, the six-hour trauma seems to have left no lasting effect on Leo, who now aspires to be a fireman. Hopefully, the young boy will be more cautious the next time he encounters a vending machine.

Resources: telegraph.co.uk,metro.co.uk, ibtimes.com

Cite Article
Geography
Learn Keywords in this Article
950 Comments
  • monkeyfan
    monkeyfanalmost 2 years
    Kinda sad
    • totallynothania
      totallynothaniaabout 2 years
      I wonder if he’s okay
      • momoomom
        momoomomover 2 years
        Poor kid! Must've hurt...
        • unicornpuppy10
          unicornpuppy10over 3 years
          i got a broken arm once it hurt. poor boy
          • kittiesmama
            kittiesmamaalmost 4 years
            Oh he was so cute awww poor thing
            • unipug2
              unipug2almost 4 years
              If that happened to me, I would be absolutely petrified and want my stuffed animal named KittyBinky. She is a cat. Really worn. She keeps me from being scared at night because I worry I'll have a nightmare. So at night, if I can't find her, I am super sad, but I find her. Once I accidentally left her at my grandma's house. She took good care of KittyBinky
              • bunnie_kitty
                bunnie_kittyalmost 4 years
                I sort of once got my hand stuck in a hole on a shopping cart... I know if you see something new, you don’t know what you do with it.... I’m sure he thought the treats inside were for everyone so the grabbed it... I also think if his parents were careful, that wouldn’t have happened.
                • luvharrypotter
                  luvharrypotteralmost 4 years
                  😭😭 Poor kid!!
                  • pusheenicorn
                    pusheenicornalmost 4 years
                    At least he wants to be a firefighter now? 😅
                    • wakandaqueen18
                      wakandaqueen18almost 4 years
                      i can relate i fell of the shoping kart and i was screaming for ten mins and i was six after that i told my three year old little sister who are you you should have seen how she cride then i started crying because i did not know who she was
                      • unipug2
                        unipug2almost 4 years
                        You srsly get amnesia from falling off a shopping cart?