How a visit to a playground landed a boy in emergency room

They're not called toddler swings for nothing.

A teen found that out the hard way Thursday afternoon when he got stuck in one of the snug rubber seats and had to be rescued by firefighters.

About 3:50 p.m., Modesto Fire Department personnel responded to a call at Moran Estates Park, on the 2000 block of Encina Avenue. Visiting the park with a friend or friends, a 13-year-old boy had been stuck in the swing for nearly an hour. He was unable to move, and his circulation was being compromised, said Battalion Chief Randy Anderson.

The boy was "on the verge of panic," Anderson wrote in his incident summary. Firefighters calmed him and used shears to cut away the seat.

He was assessed at the scene by a firefighter/medic, who called for an ambulance. The boy was taken to a hospital emergency room, then cleared and sent home, Anderson said.

The damaged swing was removed from the playground.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 8:43 AM with the headline "How a visit to a playground landed a boy in emergency room."