Girl Swallows 30 Magnets, Steel Balls; They Rip 8 Holes In Her Intestines

[meloneyb21]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/02/earlyshow/living/parenting/main4144807.shtml

(CBS) An eight-year-old Indiana girl swallowed 30 magnets and steel balls from a toy last month and, her father says, needed emergency surgery to save her from what doctors told him were eight gunshot or stab-like holes in her intestines.

Haley Lents told Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Monday she ingested the ten magnets and 20 steel balls because they "looked like candy."

Haley's father, Jason Lents, told CBS News he "really" doesn't understand how Haley could have consumed the parts, because she "gets A's and B's, and we taught her not to do stuff like this."

Jason says doctors told him Haley is lucky to be alive. She spent two weeks in the hospital.

He says he and his wife were in the same room as Haley in their Huntingburg home when she consumed the items, and they didn't even realize it. He says they rushed Haley to the hospital two days later when she began experiencing pain so severe she could barely stand up.

The parts came from a toy called Magnetix, made by Mega Brands, which issued a statement about the incident: ""Mega Brands was saddened to learn that a child sustained injury from ingesting a large number of toy parts, some of which apparently contained magnets. While we have not been able to confirm whether the toy involved was a MEGA Brands product, it is clear this was a highly unusual and isolated situation and is not indicative of any problem with Mega Brands' magnetic construction toys currently on the market. In general, if a child swallows 30 pieces of any toy, it is likely that it will result in harm regardless of the toy in question."

Haley told Rodriguez she wants other kids to know they shouldn't eat toy parts.

Jason also wants to get the word out. He pointed out to Rodriguez that, "These are high intensity magnets. There are so many parents out there that have no idea that these toys -- it just takes two magnets to kill someone. ... And because they are so easy to swallow ... (Mega Brands hasn't) done enough. Now, Mega ... has said that, coming out in July of '08, next month, that they have a completely redesigned magnetic set that contains no magnetic parts that can be swallowed. ... They obviously feel that there's an issue."

 

[Minnie_me]

That doesn't even BEGIN to make sense to me. I have a 7-year old and a 10year old, and NO WAY would they be putting toys in their mouths, let alone swallowing them, and in such large amounts?!?!??!

Something's just not right...........

 

[wowsmom]

That doesn't even BEGIN to make sense to me. I have a 7-year old and a 10year old, and NO WAY would they be putting toys in their mouths, let alone swallowing them, and in such large amounts?!?!??!

Something's just not right...........

I totally agree! Dad says she's an A/B student, but what 8 year old would think it was okay to swallow toys??

 

[Magic Mom]

Haley's father, Jason Lents, told CBS News he "really" doesn't understand how Haley could have consumed the parts, because she "gets A's and B's, and we taught her not to do stuff like this."

DOH!!!
Perfect logic...only "C" and "D" kids eat magnets. Everyody knows that!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Sorry, but I have an 8 year old and there is no way she would do that.

 

[TeresaBelle]

No kidding!! I have a 9 yo DD and she would never do that!

Sort of a joke with us, when the lead paint scares were happening a while back, I know it's not really funny, but, it turned out that DD had one of the Barbie sets where the teeny tiny little dog was painted with lead paint. I told her, "Make sure you don't lick him!" She just rolled her eye's and said, "Oh, Mama!!"

I reiterate, she would never do that!! How ridiculous!

 

[nuke]

Well I thought there was no way my honor roll straight A student would swallow toys either but kids are weird! Luckily he only acidentally swallowed a metal ball that he put in his mouth and it scared him enough that he won't do it again. I

However I do think there is something not quite right about a kid over the age of 3 eating toys because they looked like candy.

 

[PrincessMom2002]

MY DD was 3 when she swallowed one of the Magnetix balls (they were DS's but she managed to get her hands on them one day). We eventually took her for x-rays to make sure it wasn't stuck somewhere (we'd been checking each time she went to the bathroom but think it passed before we noticed). These toys were recalled shortly thereafter. It doesn't seem right that an 8 year old would intentionally swallow all these things.

 

[nataliela]

I think they had a case like this on Grey's Anatomy





Who wants to guess if the family tries to sue the toy maker???

 

[Kycha]

However I do think there is something not quite right about a kid over the age of 3 eating toys because they looked like candy.

Especially 30 of them. I would think it is quite obvious after the first one that it's not candy.

 

[Ride Junkie]

Especially 30 of them. I would think it is quite obvious after the first one that it's not candy.

Exactly. Wouldn't most normal kids that age think, "Eww, that was NOT candy...don't think I'll eat another of THOSE." Unless she has some type of developmental disability, I'm just not getting how this could happen.

 

[PrincessMom2002]

I think they had a case like this on Grey's Anatomy





Who wants to guess if the family tries to sue the toy maker???

They had already been recalled. Hopefully that will eliminate any lawsuit, but probably not, if the family did decide to sue.

 

[allison443]

Especially 30 of them. I would think it is quite obvious after the first one that it's not candy.

Plus this happened in the girl's own home-was it her own toy? Was it in packaging or something? From the information given I really don't understand the excuse that she thought it was candy unless it was in a candy dish maybe She swallowed THIRTY of them?

I remember these toys were already recalled.

 

[Carl]

Doesn't sound right to me either. Eight is way too old to pull something like that. Did she soak them in syrup first?

 

[dcentity2000]

Poor thing!



Rich::

 

[allison443]

I watched the video in the OP where they show the shiny steel balls and the blue plastic toys she swallowed. It really doesn't even look like any kind of candy, does it?

 

[ChrizJen]

I think she was just being stupid (like kids sometimes are), and when the problems started, she came up with the "looked like candy" excuse to keep from getting into trouble...

 

[Magic Mom]

I think she was just being stupid (like kids sometimes are), and when the problems started, she came up with the "looked like candy" excuse to keep from getting into trouble...

I think so too.

 

[ICF]

Dont you think after the 1st 20 or so she would have realized it was a bad idea??

 

[Sleepy]

Manufacturers will have to add a new label

THIS TOY IS NOT A FOOD ITEM AND SHOULD NOT BE SWALLOWED

You think an A/B student can read and understand that?