Mum issues warning to parents after daughter was 'hung by her own hat'

A mother has issued a desperate warning to parents after her daughter was almost 'hung by her own hat' in the school playground.

Gail Oster, of Adelaide, Australia, took to Facebook to issue a warning to fellow parents after her daughter Marley's hat cord got caught in a groove in a slide.

Sharing a picture of Marley's neck, which is visibly injured, as well as a photograph of the hat in question, she wrote: 'Warning parents !!! My daughter today was hung by her own hat on the slide at school ....It was a school hat with a QUICK/SAFETY RELEASE CLIP that was suppose to open under pressure ,this didn't happen.

'Please all parents either check your child's hat that the clip releases under pressure or cut the cord completely off the hat.....Please if your child has had a injury from school hat please post pic of child's injury and the hat label ...Please and name the supplier thankyou...'

https://www.facebook.com/gail.oster.35/posts/770287496465200?pnref=story

Since it was uploaded on 16th February, the post has had more than 20,000 shares.

Gail explained in a subsequent interview that Marley's accident could have been fatal had she not been rescued by her quick-thinking friend Madison, who spotted Marley struggling and managed to release the hat's safety clip.

'It resulted in a really bad neck injury. The doctor told me another 45 seconds and her windpipe would have collapsed,' she said.

'The bell was about to go (when the accident happened). If Madison wasn't there all the children would have been inside and Marley would have been left there.

'The slide faces the carpark at the back of the school so no-one would have found her.

'She's been having nightmares ever since. She's never had nightmares in her life. It's a freak accident but it could have been a death.

'They have a potential death hazard they are selling to parents. The schools have to ban those hats.'

https://www.facebook.com/gail.oster.35/posts/771123389714944?pnref=story

In a second update, Gail added that Marley had had to return to the doctors for various medications to treat the mark around her neck.

'Update on marley!' she wrote the day after the incident occurred. 'She is looking worse today back to the doc now on antibiotics and anti scar cream ....Thankyou for family and friends that contacted me today to check up on her means a lot .x'

Marley's school has since sent a letter to parents saying that it would 'suspend further sales of this style of hat and seek further safety advice', while 'working to provide an alternative style of hat'.