American comedian, influencer and New York Times bestselling author, Laura Cleryrevealed that she almost lost her life after an accident that happened in her kitchen while she was home alone with her children.
Thirty-nine-year-old Laura shared the details on social media, describing everything as “the scariest night of a single mother’s life.”
Her son Alfie (7) and daughter Poppy (5) were in the house at the time. They took her daughter to the hospital because of a stomach ache. They were shocked when the doctors discovered what she had swallowed: ‘Get it out of your house immediately’, which she has with her ex-husband Stephen Hilton.
It all started when she noticed that the large double-door refrigerator had moved slightly after her son climbed on top of it.
“I saw that he moved a little and I immediately felt discomfort. I ran to him to put him back in place. I thought I would just give him a little push and go on with my day,” she said.
But the situation went wrong in a second.
“As soon as I pushed him, he collapsed on top of me.”
The refrigerator weighing between 220 and 270 kilograms fell so fast that she did not have time to react. He pinned her against the kitchen island, and the greatest pressure was on her lower back and hips.
“I couldn’t move. I was trying to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge an inch. It was like trying to push a building.”
As she said, it soon became more and more difficult to breathe.
“I could feel my breathing slowing down. Each breath was harder than the last. The pain was so intense it seemed unreal. Honestly, I didn’t know if I was going to survive.”
Additional panic was caused by the fact that the children witnessed the whole situation. Daughter Poppy began to cry, while son Alfie, as she later described, ran out of the house in terror.
She was saved by one thing she happened to have with her. Her cell phone was in her pocket, so she managed to call the emergency services.
Firefighters soon arrived at the scene.
“It took three firefighters to lift the refrigerator off me,” she wrote.
She also published a video from the ambulance in which she asks the rescuers if they think she broke something. They replied that this is exactly why they are transporting her to the trauma center, where they will perform detailed tests.
Although she ended up in the hospital, the doctors were surprised by the results of the examination. Despite the weight of the refrigerator pinning her down, she did not suffer any fractures.
After the examination, she was sent home to recover, and she admits that she is still feeling the effects.
“I’m bruised, everything hurts, it’s hard to walk and I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck that also lives in my kitchen,” she said.
Her confession attracted a lot of attention because of another detail. Clery claims the refrigerator was supposed to be attached to the wall, but that wasn’t the case. She believes that this is precisely why the accident occurred when she tried to return it to its original position.
That part of the story opened up a discussion about the safety of large household appliances in homes. Many have pointed out on social media that they rarely think about the fact that refrigerators, wardrobes or other massive pieces of furniture and equipment can pose a serious danger if they are not properly installed and secured.
Despite everything she’s been through, Clery hasn’t lost her sense of humor.
“As I lay pinned under the refrigerator, I thought this is the stupidest way anyone has ever died,” she said.
In the end, she said that she couldn’t stop thinking about how the situation could have ended differently.
“If my cell phone hadn’t been in my pocket, I don’t know what would have happened.”
