A MUM has described the moment her 10-year-old daughter was electrocuted by a fan – and is sending a warning to every parent.
Neveah Majok was packing away a broken fan in her bedroom in Australia when an electric current ripped through her, leaving her unable to move or talk.
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The little girl explained: “I unscrewed it, I put the lid on my bed and then it was still plugged in and when I was moving my hands […] my hands sort of touched it and they got stuck there for a while and I couldn’t take them off and then I started vibrating.”
The electric shock left Neveah unable to call for help, as he body froze in time.
“I tried giving them a warning, tried to tell them to get out, go get mum, go get help, but they weren’t able to understand me because the vibration of the fan made it hard for me to talk,” she said.
“I couldn’t talk or move my body, but I was still able to see and hear my siblings and everything around me perfectly.”
As she tried to fight the shock, the Year 5 student managed to pull her hands off the faulty fan.
“I quickly pulled my hands away as soon as I got the chance […] I screamed,” she told 7News.
“My mum came running to the room and asked what happened. I looked at my hands and I screamed.”
Mum Mandy Sibaly said she feared the worst.
“I could smell burnt hair but I was hoping it was plastic not her fingers, because she couldn’t feel any pain. It was scary.”
Despite the little girl’s quick thinking, the damage was done and her hands were left with severe burns.
Neveah was rushed to the hospital for treatment, and she required skin grafts.
Despite the horrific April incident which left her fingers scarred, Neveah is smiling again.
Mandy wants others parents to be aware of the dangers of faulty household electronics around children.
Kidsafe Western Australia CEO Scott Phillips told 7News about 75 per cent of electrocutions to children happen in their own home, because of families’ reliance on electrical appliances.
“Sadly, we lose about three children to electrocution to Australia every year, so it’s really important that we supervise our children,” Phillips said.
He added: “It’s also important we all understand how much electricity is in the house […] and what those key safety messages are.”
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