How horrible! I can't even imagine!! :cry: Here she was trying to earn some extra money -or maybe badly needed money for the family, and to have this happen. Granted, she shouldn't have tried to do this kinda of job with an unsupervised toddler, its still awful. :cry: Rougemont, N.C. — A mother ran over her 3-year-old son with a riding lawnmower, killing him Friday evening, according to the Durham County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said the mother did not see the boy approach while she was backing up the lawnmower at 325 Red Mountain Road around 7 p.m. The boy fell over and was sucked under the lawnmower, deputies said. The child was transported to a hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead about two hours later. Investigators said the mother mows lawn in the area for extra money, and the incident did not occur at her home. The names of the child and mother have not been released. http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/3721062/
I just read this....It broke my heart to read this. I can not even imagine what the poor mother is going thru.
That's a horrible story. I have a friend who was riding on a lawnmower with her Mom when she was 4 yrs old. My friend dropped her doll and went to jump down to retrieve the doll. The mower was on a sideways incline at the time and when my friend's feet hit the ground she slipped & both feet went under the mower. This was 30+ years ago ... so I'm sure that medical technology has improved greatly ... however, at the time, it was thought that my friend would never regain use of her feet. Luckily, the doctors were wrong. She was walking two years later. Unfortunately, her feet are very scarred even though she went through numerous surgeries while she was growing up.
That is a heartbreaking story. Most modern mowers have safety features that shut the mower down if you try to back up with the blades engaged. However, its not that hard to override it. I did that with mine a few years ago because at times it better to back up and mow. However, I never let my child out into the yard when I was mowing. Not only is there danger from backing over a child, but picking up a rock and firing it across the yard and hitting something or somebody.
These folks that wany to ride their young'uns while they mow grass just don't realize how dangerous it is!!!
You are so right. That is one of the dumbest things you can do as a parent. People who do it should be charged with child abuse.
:iagree: totally with that....we NEVER did that, and I just don't understand folks who do. My neighbor used to do that, but without the blades engaged.
Well, I sort of disagree about the riding on the mower thing being abuse. Of course, you can give a kid the same effect by not even running the blades, however a responsible adult acts responsibly with a child in such a situation. If a child wants to ride with a parent, its up to that parent to exercise caution. Very young children certainly have no business on a mower. Another thing, most riding mowers are fairly loud. I always used ear plugs when using my mower, because my ears would ring for hours and mine had a perfectly good muffler. Kids should wear ear plugs on a riding mower. They also should not be in the yard when the grass is being mowed.
