A mom captured the terrifying moment the fire department had to free her son from a metal handrail after getting his head stuck.
ShaColbe Horn was visiting Baltimore with her son and a friend when the horrifying incident occurred. While they were waiting for their bus to arrive outside the Baltimore World Trade Center, ready to take them back home to Washington D.C., her 4-year-old son Quincy started sliding up and down the metal handlebars outside the building.
Horn told Newsweek that he slid along and moved in between the handlebars “at least five times,” and it didn’t seem to cause any problems. However, once the bus arrived and it was time to leave, Quincy said that he couldn’t move because he was stuck.
At first, Horn thought he couldn’t be stuck and asked her friend to help while she loaded the bags. But when even her friend couldn’t release him, it was clear that this was worse than she imagined.
“I turned around to assist, even using lotion to slide him out, but nothing was working,” Horn said.
“We couldn’t miss our ride home, so we had to call the police and alert the driver about what happened. We were assisted by workers from the building, and one man in particular helped a lot by keeping us all calm while we waited for Quincy to be rescued.”
As Quincy’s head was already through the railing, members of the fire department tried to lift him up and get his body through at a sideways angle. But he yelled out in pain, so that option certainly wouldn’t work.
After around 17 minutes, more firefighters arrived with a large mechanical tool that could prize the bars apart enough for Quincy to dip his head back through. The firefighters also tried to put Horn’s concerns at ease by reassuring her that this “happened plenty of times.”
Throughout the ordeal, Quincy was getting incredibly frustrated, especially when it seemed like nothing was going to work. He was stuck between the bars for around 30 minutes in total, but it was such a relief for everyone involved when he was finally free.
The firefighters were sure to put a smile on the 4-year-old’s face afterward by allowing him to sit in the firetruck and have his picture taken. At present, Horn has not had to pay any fine or penalty.
“We are very grateful for the help, and even the bus driver who waited for us and did not leave us there,” Horn continued. “Quincy was a little shy because of the crowd and all the attention, but he was just happy to be released from the bars and to see the firetruck up close.”
Horn captured footage of the moment her son was finally freed from the metal railing, and she shared the footage on TikTok (@servingco). In just a matter of days, the video has gone viral with over 19.1 million views and more than 1.8 million likes at the time of writing.
There has been a mixed reaction online, as many people questioned why Horn couldn’t get Quincy out herself, or how he even got in that situation. However, Horn saidthat she is choosing “to focus on the positive ones” and appreciates all the support they have received.
The TikTok video has generated over 31,700 comments already, as many internet users praised the emergency services for helping Quincy so efficiently.
One comment reads: “The firefighters explaining it so nicely so he doesn’t get scared.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “His lil giggle! So glad he’s safe!”
A third person replied: “Awww the lady was so sweet & she made him so comfortable.”
Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to [email protected] and they could appear on our site.
The post Boy, 4, Gets Head Stuck Inside Metal Railing, Shock at What Happens Next appeared first on Newsweek.