STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — A Michigan mother has a warning for other parents after her daughter was hurt at Chuck E. Cheese’s.
Abby Dodge, 3, was hurt when her hair got caught in the machine that collects tickets children win playing various video and carnival games at the restaurant, her mother Michaelena Dodge told WDIV.
“It was like eating her hair, so I looked and there was no button, so I grabbed her and her hair at the top of the pony and pulled her as hard as I could,” Michaelena said. “She’s had nightmares every night since.”
In additional to the nightmares, Michaelena said the incident left Abby with two bald spots.
Adding to her concern was the perceived lack of response from Chuck E. Cheese’s staff.
“It’s a place designed for children to be, and then they didn’t even care that she got hurt,” Michaelena said. “She [the manager] said, ‘Stuff happens when people don’t watch their children.'”
Michaelena Dodge said she hoped Chuck E. Cheese’s would make changes to make sure this never happened again.
“We’re aware of an incident that occurred on Saturday, Feb. 4 in our Sterling Heights restaurant, in which a child sustained a minor scalp injury while feeding tickets into the Ticket Muncher machine,” a Chuck E. Cheese’s spokesperson said in a statement. “The store manager on duty acted quickly to make sure the child was ok and we’ve since been in contact with her mother and offered to assist with any medical bills. We want to assure parents and caregivers that maintaining a safe experience for our guests is a primary concern for us.”
