By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
NAPLES, Fla. — A woman got her foot stuck in a mechanical massage chair in Florida, leading to a bizarre rescue operation that required paramedics and firefighters with power tools.
The Naples Fire-Rescue Department reported the incident in an Oct. 14 social media post and included a video of the trapped woman screaming in agony as rescuers tried to free her from the chair.
It shows she was stuck in a sitting position, with one foot wedged between pieces of metal.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1158424861755158
Rescuers resorted to cutting the power and taking the chair apart. An electric grinder was used to remove the steel rods pinching her foot, officials said. A water hose was used to keep the temperature of the metal from becoming too hot, the video shows.
The woman’s foot appeared to be folded as it sat wedged in the chair. She is heard screaming, “Oh, my God, Oh, my God,” when paramedics reached the point of trying to free it.
“We got it,” the crew is heard saying as they pull the foot free. “It was cramped in that spot.”
Rescuers did not release the identity of the woman or details of her injuries. “The patient was evaluated for injuries and released from the scene,” the department said.
Automated massage chairs are heavily padded and provide a variety of services, including electric roller systems for “compression massage,” kneading, acupressure and “heated foot massage” technology, according to massagechairtechnicians.com.
The rescue video had nearly 4,000 views as of Oct. 18, including some who wondered how the predicament happened. Firefighters didn’t offer an explanation.
“What a horrible way to get stuck,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.
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