A North Carolina mother lost her life after becoming trapped in a restaurant bread machine, leaving behind a grieving family and community.
Virginia Lopez, 44, was cleaning the machine when her arm got stuck, authorities said. It took 90 minutes for first-responders to dismantle the machine and free her at the Azteca Market in the small town of Selma.
Fire Chief Phillip McDaniel small tools were needed to complete the “tedious rescue” that released her badly injured arm.
After she was released from the device, which was running when she became trapped, she was airlifted to Duke University Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery to try to save her arm. She died Tuesday at the hospital from her injuries.
Her heartbroken daughter, Miriam Amado-Lopez, posted a tribute to her mother on Facebook.
“My mom is the best mother a girl could have. She taught me resilience, the importance of hard work, and she showed me what true love felt like,” the daughter wrote.
“From a young age my mom did not have the easiest life. She started working at a young age to help support her family and eventually decided to travel hundreds of thousands of miles to try to give her family a better chance at a good life,” Amado-Lopez wrote.
“She was our backbone,” the daughter said.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help pay funeral expenses.
“She was a very loved person by the community,” wrote Gerardo Rodriguez, the fundraiser’s organizer.