In August 2012, a mother in Shanghai, China, placed a can of cola in the freezer to cool it down quickly for her 5-year-old son. It seemed like a harmless habit, but it set the stage for a terrifying accident. When the boy pulled the frozen can out and opened the tab, the container violently ruptured.

The explosion was caused by basic physics. As the soda froze, the liquid expanded and forced the carbon dioxide gas into an incredibly tight, high-pressure pocket. Opening the tab cracked that pressure wide open, causing sharp shards of aluminum to fly into the boy’s face like shrapnel.

The injuries were severe, requiring the young boy to get a total of 38 stitches—31 on his face and 7 inside his mouth. His mother shared the story online to warn other parents about the hidden dangers of putting carbonated drinks in the freezer.

While viral social media posts often claim that the entire refrigerator exploded, the appliance itself never caught fire or blew up. The danger was entirely contained within the pressurized can, proving that a simple moment of carelessness with a frozen drink can have devastating consequences.