A two-year-old boy who suffered a huge 240 volt electric shock after he grabbed live wires hanging from a damaged light was saved – by his rubber-soled TRAINERS.
Lucky Tyler Stone was zapped after he grabbed loose cables from a vandalised light outside a council-owned block of flats.
He suffered severe burns to his hands and arms but was saved — thanks to his £24.99 Nike Air Max trainers.
The thick rubber soles ‘earthed’ the electric shock as it shot through Tyler’s tiny body.
Mum Sarah is now suing Leicester City Council for thousands of pounds in compensation.
Yesterday (Thurs) Sarah, 22, said: ”The council have a responsibility to make sure the lights are safe.
”Residents at the flats say that light has been like that for over a year. It’s a miracle no one has been killed.
”Tyler could have died, if it wasn’t for his trainers he might not be here today.”
Sarah and Tyler had just left a friend’s barbecue at council-owned flats on Beaumanor Road, Leicester, on June 26 when he touched an outside light.
Single-mum Sarah said: ”We were waiting for a taxi to get home. I took him out of his pushchair so I could fold it up and he toddled off.
”About five seconds later, I heard him screaming. He’d put his hands around the top of the lamp and touched the electrical wires.
”I ran over and saw he had burns all over his hands, so we took him straight to hospital.
”They told us the burns were only superficial but they said his trainers had saved his life.”
The electric shock was so powerful it short-circuited the building’s lights as Tyler was rooted to the spot.
Tyler suffered burns to his hands and was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Sarah said: ”It’s scary to think he could have died and I can’t believe that someone would leave live electrical wiring like that.”
Leicester City Council, which is responsible for the building, said they were investigating the incident.
A spokeswoman said: ”We are aware of this incident and have disconnected the lights.
”We have taken a full report from Ms Stone and are investigating.”
Electricity expert Dr Chris Oxley, at De Montfort University, said: ”Rubber soles would provide a very high resistance.
”The circuit would not have been complete, so the current level would have been very small – maybe enough to cause minor burns.
”He was very lucky, not only because of the rubber soles but because it was dry.”
