A Florida boy's idea to hide in a cooler for fun earlier this month quickly turned into a harrowing situation caught on video when he ended up getting locked inside, a move that has spurred a voluntary recall.
Surveillance video shows the moment on March 2 that 5-year-old Nicholas Wanes goes to hide in the cooler when the top drops down and locks after a minute of the boy being inside.
“When it got locked, I was scared,” Wanes told WSVN. “Like, I thought I got locked in there forever. I didn’t notice that the lock closes automatically.”
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Nicholas' father, Rob Wanes, said the family then heard an "awful scream" that they believed meant a child had fallen and gotten really hurt. After running out, they soon discovered where the yelling was coming from.
“He was right here in the cooler, curled up on his back, and he was screaming, crying," Rob Wanes told WSVN. "We yanked him out.”
The cooler involved in the incident was an Igloo Marine Elite 72 quart cooler, which has a latch that allows it to be locked. (WSVN)
The cooler was an Igloo Marine Elite 72 quart cooler, which has a latch that allows the owner to secure it shut with a lock.
The 5-year-old was only locked in the cooler with the lid down for a brief time, but the incident has shaken the Pompano Beach family, who wants to make sure that it doesn't happen to another child.
“Every thought goes through your mind. ‘What if? What if? What if? What if I didn’t hear him? What if I was out front? What if I was upstairs? What if I was in the shower?’ I mean, that’s why we want to get this out there,” Nicholas' mother, Maria Wanes, told WSVN.
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The company that makes the coolers told WSVN on Saturday it is addressing cooler concerns and identified three other products with the same latch.
"It has been brought to our attention that a child recently, inadvertently trapped himself inside one of our products," Igloo said in a statement to WSVN. "We are very sorry for the scare this incident must have caused the child and his family, and very happy no one was injured."
Nicholas Wanes, 5, got trapped in the cooler after climbing in before the top dropped down and locked as he was inside. (Family Handout/WSVN)
On its website, Igloo provided additional details about the voluntary recall for the Igloo Marine Elite coolers, which have been sold through West Marine stores.
The coolers affected by the recall include:
- Igloo® Marine Elite 72 quart; Item #00049375
- Igloo® Marine Elite 54 quart; Item #00049374
- Igloo® Marine Elite 94 quart; Item #00049574
- Igloo® Marine Elite 110 quart; Item #00034108
"It is possible that the stainless-steel latch could, inadvertently, close where a person could potentially become locked inside," the company said. "We are working closely with West Marine to send customers a free latch-replacement kit that you can use to easily and safely switch out the current latch."
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Those with the affected coolers who have not received a kit are asked to contact the company toll-free at 1 (888)-257-0934 to see if the free latch-replacement kit has already been sent in the mail.
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused you," Igloo said. "Our goal is to do everything we can to get you back out on the water using and loving your Igloo cooler."
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