A mother has issued a warning to parents after her daughter lost her leg in a horrific lawnmower accident last month.
Mum Sarah Reardon said her daughter Abigail Reardon, three, is coping “far better than all the adults in her life” after she was reversed over by the mower in Franklin, Massachusetts.
The accident on August 22 caused extensive damage to Abigail’s left foot and leg, and left her needing an amputation from her mid-calf.
Ms Reardon said the accident happened quickly. “She was out playing and the lawnmower was put into reverse and she was there,” the mum told Boston 25 News.
The driver of the ride-on mower has not been identified because what happened was an accident, she said.
Abigail spent 16 days at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, and has since undergone five surgeries — her mother said more surgeries are likely to come.
Her mother said she had an “amazing, determined, resilient little spirit”.
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“Abby lost her left foot and leg up to the middle of her calf, endured plastic reconstructive surgery, has significant soft tissue injuries to recover from, and is fighting bacterial and fungal infections from her wounds,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Her mum also said she faces ongoing issues, including requiring medications, and “will need many prosthetic leg fittings over the course of the next 15+ years, or until she’s done growing”.
“As the bones in her amputated leg grow, it’s likely the skin won’t stretch fast enough to keep up, so she’s expected to go through many procedures to ‘shorten the bone’ as she grows,” she said.
The mum said the horrific accident was also witnessed by Abigail’s older sister Alexa. She said she hopes Alexa will soon begin counselling to help her understand the accident.
Reardon said she wanted to warn other parents about the dangers of ride-on mowers.
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“They’re obviously very dangerous machines,” she said. “I’ve learned way more statistics than I wanted to about what happens to over 9000 children a year.”
Ms Reardon was citing statistics from the American Academy of Paediatrics, which advises children be kept indoors while ride-on mowers are in use.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Abigail’s family pay for medical costs.
Donations for Abigail have reached more than $71,000.
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