PARENTS have been warned following the tragic deaths of two four-year-old twins who suffocated after becoming trapped in a toy chest.
The girls, Aurora and Kellan from Florida, ran out of oxygen and were found the next day with their arms wrapped around each other.
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Twins Kellan (left) and Aurora (right) suffocated after falling asleep in their toy chest in the middle of the nightCredit: gofundme
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The girls, pictured with their mother Sadie and father Don, were deprived of oxygen, suffocated and later found deadCredit: Gofundme
Their older brother made the heartbreaking discovery on Saturday morning, assuming they were just fast asleep.
An accident prevention charity has now urged parents in the UK to warn their children not to climb inside similar furniture.
They also advised families to ensure that similar toy chests can be opened easily.
Child Accident Prevention Trust chief executive Katrina Phillips described the horror as a “horrific tragedy” and warned parents to be aware, MailOnline reports.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the family. Please take a moment to check how easy it is to open your child’s toy box.”
“Many are easy to open, but it could be a problem with a heavy wooden lid. And teach your kids not to climb on or into furniture.”
She added that this type of accident was very unusual and that she was not aware of any equivalent in the UK.
The girls’ mother, Sadie Myers, who lives with her family in Jacksonville, made a heartbreaking statement on social media warning other moms and dads to be careful.
“Don and I are having an extremely difficult time trying to figure this out…few will ever experience what it feels like to try not to spend EVERY WAKE SECOND crying in agony.”
“Something I didn’t know, and I’m sure many others don’t, is that most wooden toy chests are AIRTIGHT when closed, and soundproof too.”
“I hope knowing this helps in some way and I hope you destroy it immediately if you have a toy box like this!”
Her husband Don put all four of their children, twins and their brothers, to bed the night of the horrific accident while Sadie was at work.
The twins woke up early and decided to play, something they did often because their parents would find them sleeping in random places with toys scattered in the morning.
The devastated mum said she had previously zipped the chest so they couldn’t open it, but they begged her to open it so they could play.
“I still made sure I had something tied to the latch so the kids couldn’t lock each other in and it wouldn’t lock if it closed.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t stop it from being airtight if it was sealed,” she said.
The older boys are said to have stayed with their families while their devastated parents cope with the loss of their girls.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education