DECATUR, Ind. -- The Decatur Township Fire Department in Indiana is warning about the potential choking hazard of fidget spinners after a firefighter’s child nearly choked when a piece of her toy broke off and flew into her mouth.
The fire department has shared the experience in hopes it will serve as a warning to other parents about the choking hazards of the popular “toy.”
The firefighter said his daughter was in the back seat of their vehicle, spinning the toy and talking when one of the metal discs broke off the holder and flew into her mouth.
The piece lodged in his daughter’s throat but he was able to dislodge it with a series of back blows and went into his daughter’s stomach.
The young girl was treated and released from the hospital.
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“Thankfully this turned out well,” the department said in a Facebook post. “But please be aware that it can be a choking hazard.”
A fidget spinner has a solid middle and a disc with two or three paddles that can be spun, much like a ceiling fan, to relax the user. The metal ring in those paddles has been known to come loose when the toy is being used, sometimes completely detaching.
This is not the first time the toy has made the news since it became popular earlier this year.
A 10-year-old Texas girl was forced to undergo emergency surgery after choking on a piece of her fidget spinnerwhen she put it in her mouth to clean it.
Several schools have also banned fidget spinners because they’ve become distractions.
