Woman's Life Saved By £30 Puma Sliders Following Freak Astroturf Incident

Support worker, Kerry, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, was vacuuming the artificial grass in her backyard when she went to remove the extension lead and ended up touching a live current.

The contact resulted in an instant electric shock with enough force to throw her back into the nearby wall.

"I was in my garden vaccing my artificial grass and my extension lead was plugged in too," the 36-year-old recalled.

"I had finished vaccing the grass and went to unplug the extension and the back plastic bit must have been loose.

"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."

Initially, Kerry didn't seek medical attention, but after experiencing shortness of breath a friend convinced her to call 111, and the operator subsequently sent out an ambulance to take her to Calderdale Royal Hospital, where she received an electrocardiogram (ECG).

The incident left Kerry with nerve damage in her arm, but doctors explained that her life was saved by her Puma sliders, which prevented her from becoming grounded by the current.

Kerry 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."

The doctor explained that the rubber sliders acted as an insulator and most likely saved Kerry's life, as they stopped the electrical charge from the socket from reaching the ground through her body.

"I am better now," Kerry added. "Just my arm and right hand are very weak. I can't really hold a lot in it."