South Carolina woman loses her hand after passing out on a running hairdryer, the device causing third-degree burns that required amputation

In South Carolina, a woman’s hand was amputated after a disastrous accident involving a hair dryer.

Mary Wilson was using her hair dryer before bed in the bathroom of her James Island home when she suddenly passed out and landed on the dryer.

When she woke up, she found that the hairdryer, which was still working, had burned her hand. The burns went to the bones.

“It’s blowing hot air. The burns on my hand were third degree burns. They were down to the bone,” Wilson said.

Wilson lay on the ground with her hand badly burned until her partner found her about 20 minutes later.

“She said to me, ‘Your hand, your hand,'” Wilson told WCIV.

“I look at my hand. I don’t even register, it’s part of me. It doesn’t even look recognizable.

She was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered nerve damage so severe that they were forced to amputate her hand and wrist.

The average hair dryer can go up to temperatures of 150°F. According to the Arizona Department of Child Safety, exposure to 150°F water for just two seconds can cause third-degree burns in adults.

And according to an article published by the Danish Medical Association, hair dryer injuries are common among children:

“Burns in children are common, occurring in about 5% of all children and in about half of them before the age of three.”

After her tragic accident, Mary Wilson came away with a more philosophical outlook on life.

“It really puts into perspective all the other issues I was facing in my life six months ago that are so insignificant compared to the things I have to go through now, or the challenges I’m going to have to face in the future “Wilson said.

She thought shock from the hairdryer might have caused her to faint.

Wilson said hair dryers, like other hair styling devices that use heat, should have an automatic shut-off.

“You see it with hair straighteners and flat irons. They have this ceramic plate that, once it reaches a certain temperature, it turns off. If (the hairdryer) had done that, then maybe my injuries wouldn’t have been so bad,” she said.

Before the accident, Wilson was a dog groomer, a career she misses and doesn’t know if she can continue.

For her, the difficulty of her new situation lies in the fact of no longer being able to accomplish simple tasks.

“The biggest thing is not being able to do the simple things I want to do, or things take a lot longer.”

But Wilson tries to stay optimistic and maintain an optimistic attitude.

“I will always live my life to the fullest. It’s just a hand. What is this? 10% of my body? Wilson said.

“Losing my hand may be something that changes who I am, but that doesn’t mean it defines me about everything,” Wilson continued.

She is looking forward to receiving a prosthetic hand and has been touched by the financial and emotional support she has received.

“It’s support I never even knew existed, and it really means a lot.”