Little Girl Gets Arm Trapped In Coke Machine

A curious six-year-old girl in Aberdeen, Scotland, had to be freed by firefighters after she got her arm stuck inside a Coca-Cola vending machine on Sunday.

“We had been to the cinema to see Alice in Wonderland on Sunday and were waiting in a big queue to pay at the car park,” the girl’s mom said after the incident. “My daughter noticed the Coca-Cola machine as it’s bright with big buttons. The next thing I knew she was screaming.

“I asked what was wrong and she said her hand was trapped, I thought she was joking, but I could not get her hand out – it was firmly lodged.

“She was screaming in agony. She was really, really upset. I felt helpless as I feared my daughter’s arm would be crushed beyond repair.”

No one on site at the shopping center had keys to open the machine, so firefighters were contacted.

After determining that the girl’s coat was what had gotten snagged in the machine, firefighters cut the jacket off and she was able to slip free.

The girl’s mother says she’s been trying to get assurances from Coca-Cola that a similar incident won’t happen again.

“My daughter’s arm is like any other child’s arm and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” she said. “They have been so unsympathetic, they don’t seem to care.”

However, a rep for Coke said the company had investigated the incident and found no fault with design or functionality. And while the rep said the company sympathizes with the little girl and her family, she added that customers had to use equipment in an appropriate way.

Girl rescued from Coca-Cola vending machine [BBC News]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.