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Girl Rescued After Hand Gets Stuck In ATM

Posted: 4:51 pm EDT March 13, 2007Updated: 11:13 am EDT March 14, 2007

Only Channel 9 was there when a little girl was rescued from an ATM in Orange County. Her hand got stuck in the money dispenser and it took firefighters more than three hours to get her out.


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The pain on the little girl's face said a lot. Unable to move, she could only stand as firefighters worked to free her from the ATM.

Crews took the ATM apart, piece by piece. In a case like this, it's slow work, because the machines aren't meant to come apart easily and the little girl's hand was wedged so far in.

More than three hours into the ordeal, the 9-year-old's hand came out from the cash slot and the relief on her face was almost instant.

"It hurt a lot," Angelica Santiago said, shortly after being freed.

Her hand still hurt. An ice pack helped, but her eyes still showed the hours of crying from what was supposed to be a quick trip to the store.

"She put her hand where the cash came out. The metal piece kept it from coming out," said parent William Santiago.

Fire crews descended on the store's parking lot, worried her hand might have been severed. A stretcher waited outside. Luckily, it wasn't needed.

"We had to dismantle the machine and put a little soap on her hand so we could get it free," said Lt. Jon Haskett, Orange County Fire Rescue.

The rescue was much to the relief of the girl's parents. Looking on at a child in so much pain and unable to help is one of life's most difficult moments.

"I can do nothing. The emergency crews could do nothing. I worry something so much worse would happen," said parent Maria Santiago.

One of the delays in freeing the girl was that rescue crews had never had such a situation and had to speak with an ATM repair tech to figure out exactly how best to take it apart.

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