CNN Headline News reporting

[Andy]

child placed in a washer by her mother, rescued by cop who broke the window with his baton.

All caught on video surveillance system.

[Gary C]

There is no accounting for the intelgance of some people or the lack of. There is a mother the should get the Darwin award.

Gary

[Coinwash]

Did anyone hear about the mother who put her 2 year old in a front loader???
I just heard it on the News????

Think it was in California............

[Kitty]

POMONA, California (AP) -- A 2-year-old girl was rescued from a locked, running washer at a coin laundry and her mother was arrested after a surveillance tape allegedly showed her putting the child into the machine, police said.

An officer smashed the window of the machine with his baton to rescue the girl, who was "submerged in water," police Sgt. Matt Stone said.

The child was unconscious when she was pulled from the washer Saturday but breathing. She was taken to a hospital where she was listed in serious condition with cuts, scrapes, bruises. She had inhaled some water but was expected to survive, Stone said.

Her mother, Erma Osborne, 35, of Pomona, California, later was arrested for investigation of child endangerment and held on $10,000 bail.

Surveillance camera footage showed that the woman placed her daughter in one washer, then removed her and placed her in a second front-loading washer, which turned on when she closed the door, Stone said.

"She wasn't drowned but she was getting there," Los Angeles County fire Capt. Dan Ramirez said.

The machine apparently locks automatically when the wash cycle begins and does not unlock until the cycle ends, Ramirez said.

Efforts by the girl's mother and bystanders to unlock the door failed.

[Andy]

Makes you wonder if there shouldn't be a visible emergency door unlock mechanism, somethng that customers could see and operate but wouldn't be enticing to youngsters.

For those of you who have unattended mats do you have any instructional postings regarding electrical disconnects? like where they are and are they labeled?

On the other hand can you really prepare for every nut-job there is out there, I don't think so.

Think about these scenarios:
A screwball walks into your mat picks up your broom and commences on beating up a customer with it, or a chair, folding table, garbage can or he buys the new liquid bleach and throws it at someone.

The possibilities are endless, you can't be prepared for every eventuality. Be vigilant and remove obvious hazards. The first thing I do with new hires is show them where the main electrical panel is and how to operate the main (entire building) disconnect and where and how to turn off all the water in the building.

[Gary C]

I don't think so Andy. We would then be sued by some idiot that opened the door while in full spin and stuck their hand in. That is more likley to happen than some stupid mother sticking her chiled in.

[SmartCard]

How do the insurance companies view attended vs. unattended mats? Are attended mat owners paying the price for these stupid incidents? Just one more argument for attended mats.

[Fred50]

How about one more argument for camera systems?

Just imagine the consequences to the owner of this place if he/she didn't have a system installed and running!!

[Andy]

i am with you on that on mark.

[Gary C]

I am not sure how not having a camera system would effect the owner. The owner could argue that the machine did not close by it's self. The video will only help convict the mother.

Gary

[Andy]

If the video clearly shows the mother placing the kid in the washer and starting it then I say it passively protects the owner from misdirected lawsuits period. If the video didn't exist and there were no witnesses the mother might have said the kid must have jumped in the machine and it started, the owner is at fault, then you must prove it didn't.

[Andy]

It was a Dexter front loader at Lucy's laundromat in Pomona