10/25/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, US // Sandra Quinlan // Sandra Quinlan

Pittsburgh, PA—A young girl underwent two surgical procedures after placing a small battery in her nose while attempting to mimic a scene from the movie ‘Toy Story 3.’ The child, who severely injured her nose, is expected to undergo a third operation as a means of hopefully reversing some of the damage, according to an October 23, 2010 Pittsburgh Channel report.

Sarah, 4, told reporters, “A kid picked Mr. Potato Head’s eye up and then put it in his nose.” She alleged she found a small battery on the floor of her brother’s room and subsequently stuck it in her nose, noting it “burned and I was crying.”

Sarah was initially transported to St. Clair Hospital, but eventually transferred to Children’s Hospital for surgery after doctors could not remove the battery from her nose. Twelve hours later, the battery was removed.

According to Sarah’s mother, Kelly Dawso, “It was awful. I had no idea what she had done to her nose…. Evidently, your body, I believe it’s the electrolytes in your body react with the positive and negative charge on the battery and create an electrical current that actually burns the tissue.”

“When the body attacks the battery like that, it starts to erode the battery and releases alkali, which creates the chemical burn… The mucous lining on her septum is burned away, and there are a couple small holes in her septum,” Dawso added.

Sarah, who underwent a second operation as well, is expected to require a third one in the next few weeks. Doctors contend that while Sarah cannot feel pain, given that the nerve endings in her nose are dead, they hope the third surgery will help Sarah regain feeling and repair some of the damage done.

Dawso urges parents to be cautious of the dangers associated with small batteries, which can be found in toys. “All it takes is one little twist and they’re out,” she added.

Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan– Legal News for Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers.

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