A woman has said her £30 Puma sliders saved her life after she was nearly electrocuted while vacuuming her artificial lawn.
Kerry Tattersley, 36, was vacuuming her fake grass lawn in her backyard when she went to unplug the extension lead and touched a live current. The resulting contact from the electric shock produced enough force to throw her back into the nearby wall.
The support worker from Halifax, said: "I was in my garden vaccing my artificial grass and my extension lead was plugged in too. I had finished vaccing the grass and went to unplug the extension and the back plastic bit must have been loose.
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"I didn't know, and I grabbed it and it fell off while I had hold of the plug and I got electrocuted and I got flung back into my wall. The pain was like a dull ache and a massive tingle through my body and it was like electricity going through my arms.
"I was running up and down my kitchen. My arms were shaking, but I couldn't stop them from shaking either. It was like I had no control over them. It was like an eight out of 10 pain."
Following the incident, Kerry didn't rush to seek medical attention. However, she began experiencing shortness off breath and was convinced by a friend to call 111. She added: "I was on the phone to my friend and she said I needed to ring the hospital but I said 'I'll be fine'.
"But I started to breathe a little funny like losing my breath so she said 'well ring 111 if you don't want to phone the hospital, just get some advice'. So, I did, and the operator said for me to stay where I am, and an ambulance is coming for me and for me to go get my daughter from bed just in case I go unconscious and what to do if I do."
An ambulance was quickly sent out to her house and she was taken to Calderdale Royal Hospital. She added: "When the paramedic arrived they did my heart rate and blood pressure then asked the normal questions and also asked what happened and if I had taken any medication and how my pain felt.
"They then said I needed to go to the hospital because my pulse was fast and my heart rate was a little high and my hands are two different temperatures." Kerry was given some paracetamol and was taken to the local hospital where she was seen quickly within 10 minutes to undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG).
The electric shock had left nerve damage in her arm, however, doctros revealed to her that her Puma sliders she was wearing at the time saved her life because they prevented Kerry from becoming grounded by the current.
Kery said: "The doctor asked what had happened then he explained about what happens when you get a nasty shock. He then said: 'Are those what you were wearing at the time?'
"I said 'yes', and he said, 'well you're lucky because they probably saved your life'. I was shocked, literally."
Doctors went on to explain that the rubber sliders acted as an insulator and stopped the electrical charge from the socket from reaching the ground through her body. Kerry added: "I am better now. Just my arm and right hand are very weak. I can't really hold a lot in it."
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