You can win all sorts of things from those claw game machines found in arcades and Laundromats, like teddy bears, watches, and, these days…kids? Well, apparently so. There's been a crazy uptick in children climbing into and getting stuck inside of those popular toy fishing games.
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The latest incident occurred just this Tuesday, when 18-month-old Colin Lambert decided he wanted ALL OF THE TOYS! According to the toddler's grandmother Diane O'Neill, she'd glanced down at her phone to check a text when the toddler saw his opportunity to make a break for the machine. In the two seconds it took Colin's grandmother to read a text, the tot managed to climb into the tiny toy retrieval door at the bottom of the machine, and up into the plastic display box, where he settled in to begin playing with his new loot.
Can you imagine? I would have freaked the heck out! I would be worrying about whether or not he had enough air, or if he'd try and climb back out and get stuck under the plethora of plush toys. I'd be a wreck. But not Colin's grammy. She managed to keep cool, calm and collected. O'Neill called the fire department, and while she waited, decided to snap a few pics. Because, why not?" As long as he was okay, it was funny," 62-year-old O'Neill told ABC News. But it isn't funny. Even O'Neill had to admit that Colin became upset after a while, and started to cry. Of course he did! He was trapped inside of a plastic box. It's dangerous and scary. Luckily, firefighters were able to retrieve Colin, and return him back to solid ground without so much as a scratch on him. They also let him keep one of the toys for being a brave little trooper.
I'm glad Colin is okay, but this story still gives me the chills. The Tennessee tot is far from being the only child to have pulled such a stunt. This April, a toddler wandered out of his home in Nebraska to a nearby bowling alley, where he climbed into its claw machine. Last year, yet another kid decided to climb into bowling alley claw game because, get this, the key was just hanging there. And then there was another child, this time a little girl, who climbed into a claw machine located inside of a Pennsylvania shopping mall, much to the horror of her poor mother.
So far, no children have been hurt due to climbing into claw machines, but the next child may not be so lucky. I know it's easier said than done, and I know that children can disappear in the second it takes for you to sneeze, but we have to at least do our best to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Before walking into an arcade or Laundromat or any public space with a child, be sure to explain to them, in uncertain terms, that they are NOT to wander off. If you have to answer a call or text, do so while holding onto your child, even if they pout, cry or whine. And, at the end of the day, just treat your child like a prized possession; never let them out of your sight, not even for a second.
Images via Thinkstock/ HLNTV
