Quick action from OSHC educator prevents tragedy, and brings a powerful safety reminder

Freya Lucas

Dec 22, 2022

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Quick thinking from outside school hours care (OSHC) educator, and mother of six, Geraldine Watego, has prevented a near tragedy for two of the children in her care.

Ms Watego is being hailed as a hero for taking the full weight of a 150 kilogram commercial fridge to save two children, aged five and seven years, from being crushed as the fridge began to fall on them after they reached inside to retrieve their lunchboxes.

"I was cleaning an area of the room when I heard screaming and as I turned I saw the fridge falling," she told NITV.

"So I ran and put myself under it to save it from falling on them. They would have been instantly killed because of their size."

The fridge had been installed at the OSHC service to cater for increased demand during the vacation care period, and an informal inspection after the incident found that the support legs were not in the right position, the brakes were not engaged and the fridge was not bolted to the wall, all of which allowed for the incident to occur.

After saving the children, Ms Watego was able to get herself upright once the fridge was moved with the help of the mother of the children, who was in the foyer of the service when the incident took place, but has since taken leave from work to cope with the physical and mental impact of what took place.

"My first instinct was to save them. I came home traumatised, crying,” she told NITV.

“If I didn't move that fast, those poor kids would have been killed. I am in a lot of pain but I'm just glad that both of those children and myself are doing okay."

To read the original coverage of this story please see here.

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