A Conifer, Colo. family are breathing a sigh of relief today after one of their children was stuck inside their new front-loading washer with it running.

Lindsey McIver tells the story on her Facebook page, knowing the heat they may take from some people, in the hopes that other families will read it and avoid making the same mistake they did.

The family bought a new washer because their old one was long past its prime and ceased to operate. Getting a new, front loading washer would be cool, and the kids stayed around mom and dad as they installed it and got it ready to go, as kids always do.

What Lindsey says they did not do was read the instructions on how to lock it. And, kids being kids, got curious, so one of them climbed in and the door was shut, and the cycle began. As the washer began filling with water, their four-year-old son raced up the stairs to alert mom and dad.

It's air-tight inside of a washer, as you can imagine so that the water doesn't leak out, so when they got to the laundry room, they saw their child inside, could see she was screaming but couldn't hear anything. They stopped the cycle and took the little girl out.

Ending up with a few bruises on her head and wet clothes was the best outcome a situation like this one could hope for. But it does offer one valuable lesson.

Read all instructions and know how to child-proof any new appliance that may cause injury or death.

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