Bittersweet Lesson in Chocolate Quest
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MOUNTAIN VIEW — Four firefighters struggled for more than 15 minutes to free a 2-year-old girl whose hand got stuck inside a candy machine in a bank.
Lucinda Reza put her hand inside the dispensing slot of the 1950s gum ball-type machine in an attempt to get at some chocolate candies. Bank employees and the girl’s father were unable to help her but did give her a reason to hang on until professional help arrived.
“When we get this off, you can have all the candy you want,” a bank employee told the girl.
Firefighters tried the usual tricks--petroleum jelly, telling the girl to unclench her fist--and finally had to tear the machine apart with bolt cutters while Hassan Reza covered his daughter’s eyes.
Except for a swollen and bruised hand, the girl was unharmed.
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