A mum has spoken of her horror after being warned her son might die following a freak accident with a drinks bottle.
Clare Wooff, 33, was driving to the shops with Riley, six, when he began making noises and saying his tongue was stuck in the spout.
Clare pulled over to remove it but it had formed a vacuum and would not budge, so she rushed to hospital.
Riley’s swollen tongue was turning black and doctors told his worried mum that he needed surgery – but it could kill him.
Clare, of Carnforth, near Lancaster, said: “It was the scariest day of our lives.
“The doctors said ‘this is a real risk. He could lose his breathing when we cut the lid off, the swelling could go down his throat and he may need a tracheotomy, which would land him in intensive care.
"He also said there was a big risk of a heart attack.”
After medics agonised over airlifting Riley to another hospital, a team of 10 successfully operated at Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
Riley was left with his tongue intact but suffering a temporary speech impediment.
Now mum-of-two Clare is calling on parents to ditch bottles with no safety gauze and wants Sainsbury’s to recall the type that Riley had.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We are investigating this isolated incident and wish Riley a speedy recovery.”
