Mum’s panic as cheeky toddler traps himself in Lidl trolley and needed firefighters to cut him free

Little Austin Goodwin found himself trapped in a supermarket trolley when his tiny leg became caught in between two metal bars at the back of the fold down seat in a freak accident.

The youngster, who will celebrate his second birthday this weekend, was cut free be firefighters who were called to the Brenda Road store on Tuesday, October 20.

Mum Ayleigh Robinson says it was ‘panicky’ moment she realised her son’s leg was trapped and feared the metal poles were cutting into his leg as his foot began to turn purple.

Now he’s safely back in mum’s arms, the family can see the humour in the situation and have even saved the picture of him stuck in the trolley to give to him when he turns 18.

"I was just at the till packing things into the trolley when he started kicking off like toddlers do,” said the 23-year-old mum, of Hartlepool.

"The speed Lidl puts the shopping through I didn’t really have time to check on him but when we move over to pack the bags he put his arms out to get picked up, which he never normally does.

"I went over and tried to pick him up but he was stuck. He’d must have tried to get out and got his foot stuck between two mental bars towards the back of the chair. It must have only been 2 or 3cms wide.

“The bar was up to his calf and his foot was going purple.

"The Lidl staff were great they came over and brought him a cookie to try and calm him down. Another young man came over to help too, he kind of took over and was asking for a first aid kit. They were a huge help.

"It was a bit panicky at the time – I think it’s worse when it’s your own child.

"I’ve saved the photograph from when he was stuck to give him on his 18th – it’s a cracking picture.”

Ayleigh called the Cleveland Fire Brigade and firefighters quickly arrived and were able to cut the bar to free the youngster.

And after lots of cuddles from mum and dad, Adam Goodwin, the little lad is back to normal.

Ayleigh, who is also mum to six-month-old Amelie, said: “They didn’t take an accident report at the time and I’ve emailed head office just so they’re aware.

"It’s a fluke accident but this just shows it can happen. I wouldn’t want another child to go through it.

“I want to thank the staff at Lidl, the fire brigade and the man who came to help.”

A spokesperson for supermarket Lidl said: “We can confirm that the fire brigade were called to our Hartlepool store to assist with an incident involving one of our customers.

"Thanks to the actions of the emergency services and the store team the issue was swiftly resolved and the customers involved returned home safely.”

An accident report has now been filled.

A message from the editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.