Child’s Close Call After Getting Trapped Inside a Cooler Prompts Recall

There’s nothing children won’t do to score the best hide-and-seek spot. And sometimes this can be fatal.

Floridian Nicholas Wanes thought he found the best place to hide when he came across an open cooler in his backyard. But when the lid closed and he was locked inside, panic ensued. Luckily, his parents found him before it was too late and prevented what would have been a devastating tragedy. The entire scene was caught on the family’s security camera, which his father, Robert Wanes, shared to Facebook in hopes of stopping this scenario from happening to someone else.

“Thank God we could hear the frantic screams from inside the house,” he says.

After returning from a day at the beach, the Wanes cleaned out their cooler and left it out to dry in the yard. Scoping out the area for a hiding spot, Nicholas spotted it and tucked himself away inside. Once the lid was fully closed and the lock latched shut, the boy was trapped.

“Our son starts to scream frantically with one of those screams when you know something is very wrong,” Robert recounts in the Facebook video. “We hear it from inside the house and rush outside not knowing at first where his screams were coming form.”

The footage shows Mom, Dad and their two daughters bolting outside trying to find the source of Nicholas’s screams. Soon enough, Robert flips open the cooler and Mom grabs her son in her arms.

“Luckily he was okay. Mom, on the other hand, was a complete wreck for days,” he says. ‘“Hopefully Igloo and West Marine will put out a safety alert or recall on this latch.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

The father’s call to action quickly attracted the attention of a handful of media outlets who shared the family’s warning with others. It received such widespread attention that Igloo, the cooler’s manufacturer, issued a recall on four of its coolers, WPLG reports.

“It has been brought to our attention that a child recently, inadvertently trapped himself inside one of our products. We are very sorry for the scare this incident must have caused the child and his family, and very happy no one was injured,” the company said in the statement. “Igloo stands behind the quality of our products, and because our consumers’ safety and satisfaction are our top priority, we are voluntarily recalling the Igloo Marine Elite coolers made for boating applications, which have been sold through West Marine stores.”

The recalled products include:

• Igloo Marine Elite 72 quart; Item #00049375
• Igloo Marine Elite 54 quart; Item #00049374
• Igloo Marine Elite 94 quart; Item #00049574
• Igloo Marine Elite 110 quart; Item #00034108

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.