DUBLIN, Ireland – A 5-year-old boy with Down syndrome suffered painful burns after getting trapped in a clothes dryer that started automatically, the Irish Times reported.
Riley Gedge-Duffy climbed into the dryer Sunday at the family’s home in Northern Ireland.
Riley’s father, Aaron Duffy, said things could have been much worse — if it wasn’t for the family dog.
Riley’s mother was vacuuming upstairs, the Times reported, and might not have heard the racket until it was too late.
But Riley’s father said their cockapoo, Teddy, “ran upstairs and basically went berserk so she knew something was not right.”
The dog reportedly ran back and forth to the dryer. When Riley’s mother followed him, she heard “banging and crashing and could see his iPad going round and round.”
She pulled Riley out the of dryer, poured cold water on him and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for burns and bruising to his head, according to the Times.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have happened if the dog had not been there,” the Times quoted Riley’s father as saying.
