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Couple on daughter stuck in washer: 4-year-old 'pushed the flashing button'

Aside from a few bumps on her head, Kloe is just fine, her mom wrote in a Facebook post.
Credit: KUSA

As her mom reads the Hello Kitty version of Little Red Riding Hood to her, a big smile spreads across 3-year-old Kloe McIver's face as she enthusiastically identifies the big bad wolf.

Sharp teeth and big claws aren't enough to scare the little girl who already faced real-life danger last week when she was accidentally locked in her parents' new front-loading washing machine. Kloe's 4-year-old brother woke Lindsey and Alan McIver with his sobbing screams that his sister was trapped.

PREVIOUSLY: Mom whose toddler was locked in filling washing machine: 'We were sick to our stomachs'

The parents believe their daughter climbed inside. Then their son shut the door and pushed the power button, they said.

"I think he did what any normal kid would do and pushed the flashing button," Alan said. "We couldn't exactly tell what he was saying at first, but I heard him saying 'Kloe' and 'washing machine.' That scared me and I ran downstairs as fast as I could."

When Alan reached his daughter, the washing machine was filling up with water and started tumbling. She was screaming, but he couldn't hear her too well because the washing machine was shut airtight, Alan said.

"I yanked on the door trying to get it open, but the door locks, so you can't open it while it's running," he said. "[I] pulled a couple times and then was able to figure out the sequence of buttons to shut it down."

Aside from a few bumps on the head, Kloe's fine, her mom wrote in a Facebook post.

Lindsey and Alan have since put their own safety lock on the washing machine, a lock meant for a toilet they found at Target.

Now, the two parents are using their terrifying experience as a warning to other parents.

PREVIOUS STORY | Mom says daughter trapped in front-loading washing machine as it filled with water

"We just want to urge other parents or even grandparents that you just need to look at your situation," Lindsey said. "If you can lock your laundry room door, that would be ideal. There are lots of other hazards in a laundry room besides the washing machine. Just evaluating the washer, the different settings that are available with your type of machine or putting a child safety lock on the door, such as what we did, to prevent children from climbing inside."

Lindsey said she was hesitant to talk about the terrifying experience for fear of being shamed as a parent, but in the end knew it was more important to help others. So many people have reached out to her since sharing her story, including people who've now installed safety locks on their own washing machines, she said.

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