Emergency drama as door traps tot's pinky

Published on Thursday 29 July 2010 11:19

LITTLE Elspeth McDiarmid was at the centre of a 999 emergency - after trapping her pinky in a door and leaving her mum and new little brother stranded.

The drama happened as mum Christina settled down in the bedroom to feed her two-week-old son Archie in the family's Easter Road home.

Elspeth, who turns two tomorrow, popped in to say hello and got her finger stuck as she tried to close the door - leaving all three trapped and the toddler screaming in agony.

Mrs McDiarmid's mother, Maria Hansen, visiting from the US, rushed to try and help. But, trapped on the outside of the door, all she could do was pass a bottle of oil through the tiny open gap so Mrs McDiarmid could try and ease Elspeth's finger free - to no avail.

Mrs McDiarmid, 28, said: "She got her pinky finger completely stuck into it and I couldn't open or close the door to get her finger out.

"She was howling, I was completely stuck, and my son was on the bed because I'd been calmly breastfeeding him when she came in.

"She was in a lot of pain, every time I tried to move her finger up or down her legs would shake. My mum was going a little bit mental, and Archie was getting a little bit grumpy, but thankfully I wasn't too wound up, I was telling everyone to calm down."

Realising she couldn't free her daughter, Mrs McDiarmid called 999 and firefighters rushed to the house to help.

She said: "They were absolutely brilliant.

"They shined a light through the door so they could see where her finger was, because they couldn't get on the other side of the door, obviously.

"Then three of them lifted the door up a bit and pulled it away from the hinges. It was just enough to pull it away from her finger.

"Her finger came out and she was really howling, it was really bent."

The family was taken to the Sick Kids by ambulance, where an X-ray revealed that Elspeth had a greenstick fracture.

Now Elspeth is back home recovering from Wednesday morning's drama, and in high spirits ahead of her birthday party tomorrow.

Full-time mum Mrs McDiarmid praised the paramedics and Sick Kids staff, along with Elspeth's rescuers. She said: "It only took them three minutes to get here - the 999 woman heard Elspeth howling in the background, I was saying ‘everything's fine, I don't want to be one of these over-protective mothers, but I can't get her finger out.'

"The guys were absolutely brilliant, the firemen were really lovely, trying to make her laugh."

A fire service spokeswoman said: "We were more than happy to assist and it was obviously quite uncomfortable for Elspeth, but we were able to help release her fingers.

"We're delighted to hear that all is well and she's making a good recovery."

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