A viral TikTok is circulating that shows the terrifying moment an elderly lady got her coat caught in the shutters of a convenience store, resulting in her being left dangling in the air for an agonizing 12 seconds.
The footage, captured on some nearby CCTV cameras close to the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, starts with the woman standing outside the shop with her trolley, presumably waiting for it to open.
As the establishment’s shutters rise, they inadvertently catch on her jacket, raising her around eight feet into the air and suspending her helplessly. Her blue scarf hangs down as she holds her trolley for dear life — perhaps with the futile hope that its weight would help pull the shutters down.
Luckily for the otherwise unfortunate soul — identified as Anne Hughes — a shop worker quickly noticed her predicament and ran out to help her.
The kind gentleman, wearing a baseball cap and body warmer, rushed to her aid, detaching her jacket from the raised shutter and helping her back down to the safety of solid ground.
How did TikTok respond?
The footage has received a mixed response from TikTokers, with some expressing genuine concern for Mrs. Hughes, others finding the whole thing hilarious, and everything in between.
Some worried users include Andreagough, who said, “Should not laugh I hope she ok xx (sic)” and Natalía, is worried about the “poor lady” as even though the video in question “looks hilarious but poor lady may have got an heart attack (sic).”
Others who were far less sympathetic include gracie, who said “Nahhh if that happens to me leave me up there to die of embarrassment,” user4570058969769, who said, “reporter confusing horrific with hilarious” (followed by a load of laughing emojis), and layla alice, who tagged a friend and said, “this is the funniest thing i’ve ever seen.”
User Bobby Mc had a question about the helpful shop worker, asking, “Why did he run out when all he had to do was continue putting the shutter down?” It’s a valid point.
Another user, bungholio92, asked the highly pertinent question, “Why do old people wait outside shops for them opening when the shop opens at like 7am and shuts at 10pm?” Thinking about it, had the lady just arrived after the shop had opened, like most people do, none of this would have happened!
For any readers concerned about Anne Hughes, she’s absolutely fine, has suffered no ill effects from her unfortunate experience, and has been a fantastic sport about the whole thing — she’s even spoken on BBC News about the incident.
God bless you, Anne. We hope you’re well and can continue to look back and laugh about it.