Danger didn’t knock. It exploded.
In a quiet Shanghai apartment, a boy opened the freezer for a cold drink and, in a split second, his face was torn open by shrapnel from a soft drink can. Blood, screams, a rush to the hospital. Thirty-eight stitches. One terrible mistake hidden in a harmless daily habit. And yet, in countless homes, the same silent, ticking dan… Continues…
A child’s casual gesture—opening the freezer for a colder drink—turned into a nightmare that no parent can ever forget. The can, left in the freezer to chill “just a bit faster,” had become a pressurized bomb. As the liquid expanded and CO₂ built up, one twist of the tab triggered a violent burst, sending jagged metal into the boy’s face and leaving him with 38 stitches and a lifelong scar.
This wasn’t an isolated accident. Doctors report growing numbers of similar injuries, all rooted in the same careless habit: putting the wrong things in the freezer. Carbonated drinks, tightly sealed alcohol, and even dry ice can all turn a refrigerator into a hidden explosive risk. The solution is painfully simple—cool drinks in the fridge, use ice buckets, store dry ice in ventilated containers, and teach children never to experiment with the freezer. One moment of attention can prevent a lifetime of regret.