A South Hedland family has been left reeling after a freak accident on the family treadmill left their three-year-old daughter hospitalised with severe burns.
Kelly Gay was on the phone with her service provider when she heard a piercing scream come from her children's toy room.
"I ran inside... I was at first a little confused as to what I was exactly seeing," she said.
"As I went further into the house I heard Sienna crying and screaming, [and saw] my husband spinning around on his back on the treadmill... I initially thought he was playing with the kids.
Related Content
"I quickly worked out that the treadmill belt was actually spinning and my husband was on it trying to stop it."
Sienna had become wedged between the wall and the treadmill belt, and it had accidentally been switched on by her brother.
Ms Gay took action quickly and pulled the safety key from the machine, and Sienna was pulled out by her husband.
"I discovered was turned on its maximum speed of 22 kilometres per hour," Ms Gay said.
"After shutting the treadmill off I ran back into the kitchen area and for the first time really looked at my daughter and her injuries... what a horrific sight."
Sienna had suffered horrific friction burns on the majority of her body, and was taken to the South Hedland Hospital emergency department for treatment.
"They assessed her wounds and took photos sending them off to the burns unit in Perth for them to give advice on what they thought.," Ms Gay said.
"After the photos were taken they needed to dress the burns and, in order to do this my husband, myself, and several nurses had to hold her down while she screamed and thrashed around in agony... it simply broke my heart.
"They decided they had to give her gas to calm her down which she also refused due to being so scared and traumatised so as well as pinning her down I had to hold her oxygen mask on her little face."
It soon became clear her injuries were too serious to treat in the regional hospital, and Sienna would require skin grafts at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in the Total Care Burns Unit.
"She has been confined to her hospital bed due to infection control and has had to undergo several sessions of dermabrasion to her stomach and right arm and hand.
"[She has also now] undergone surgery to have a skin graft to her right arm and hand."
Ms Gay said Sienna has been suffering nightmares about the accident, and refuses to let doctors near her.
Consumer Protection WA acting commissioner David Hillyard said these sorts of accidents were not uncommon.
"On average, about a dozen children a year are seriously injured by friction burns and, in more severe cases, children have needed skin grafts and have permanently lost the normal use of their fingers and hands due to treadmill accidents," he said.
"Consumers need to be cautious when using treadmills when there are children in the home. The best solution is to keep the treadmill in a separate room that can be closed off to children, or use barriers to keep children away. If not being used, treadmills should be unplugged from the power socket."
Ms Gay said she hoped sharing her story could be a cautionary tale for other families.
"I don't think anyone can fully explain the affects something like this has on them... please take the safety key out of your home treadmill and put it under lock and key if you have young children."
"I always hide mine but the one time I got complacent this happened and I can tell you, no parent wants to or should have to see their child go through what mine is going through... I always told my kids to stay away from my treadmill as it wasn't a toy but I never in my wildest dreams thought that a treadmill belt was capable of such bad burns.
"I can't even look at my treadmill at the moment, it makes me feel sick or burst into tears.
"I don't think I will every fully get over this, I just hope my daughter does and if this story prevents another child or children from receiving treadmill injuries - it has served its purpose."