Dad's warning after boy, 7, almost loses foot in freak mower accident
A New South Wales father has warned families about the dangers of ride-on mowers after his seven-year-old boy almost lost his foot in a freak accident.
Jett Burgess was helping his dad and grandad plant trees on their property 15 minutes outside Port Macquarie, on the NSW Mid-North Coast, after some rain last month.
His dad, Jeff, was riding a lawnmower about half a metre ahead when the youngster slipped and fell in the mud, and his right foot slid underneath the blades.
“It was one of those freak things… he just walked up beside the mower,” the 48-year-old told Yahoo7.
As a former police officer, Mr Burgess’ emergency response training quickly kicked in and he leaped to his son’s aid, lifting the mower’s guard and dragging Jett out.
“I saw him disappear under the mower. I reached in and grabbed the blade and lifted him out,” the father said.
“It was just instinct – I didn’t think about it.”
The boy’s boot was gone and his foot was a mess of broken bones, torn tendons and a severed artery.
Despite the horror scene being something of any parent’s worst nightmares, Mr Burgess wasted no time in taking off his shirt and wrapping it tightly around his boy’s wound.
He ordered his father to drive the three of them to Port Macquarie Base Hospital, applying pressure to the wound as Jett lay in his lap.
There Jett was stabilised then flown to Sydney Children’s Hospital where a team of plastic and orthopaedic surgeons worked for more than seven hours to repair the boy’s shattered heel, and save his foot.
The little boy’s Achilles tendon had become 95 per cent detached, so surgeons had a real task to rebuild his foot, taking skin grafts from his forearm.
A warning to parents
Mr Burgess was thankful for his insistence on Jett wearing his thick boots while out working on the property or riding his motorbike. It saved the boy’s foot from being ripped off.
“The boots are the reason he still has his foot,” Mr Burgess said.
“The reason it didn’t get completely ripped off was because the boot took most of the impact.”
He wanted to share Jett’s story as a lesson to other parents to make sure their children always wore boots while walking around and playing on rural properties.
Mr Burgess also urged parents to ensure children kept their distance from ride-on mowers.
“Keep them well behind the mower, or completely away,” he said.
The Sydney Children’s Hospital said 250 of the children it treated each year were there as a result of trauma, and accidents on rural properties happened a lot.
“Accidents are common especially amongst children who are naturally curious, and often
lack the consequential awareness required to adequately assess danger,” Sarah Adams, clinical nurse consultant for trauma at Sydney Children’s Hospital, said.
“We remind parents to always remain vigilant when working with dangerous household items such as mowers and tools, as supervision is the best precaution.
“However, accidents will occur and it is important that parents and carers remain calm, protect the wound and seek immediate medical assistance by calling triple-0 or heading to their nearest emergency department.”
Jett’s road to recovery
The little boy is now using a wheelchair to get around and doctors say it will be about eight months before he will be able to weight-bear and start to walking again.
Once his foot is healed, Jett will also require more plastic surgery to reshape it.
It will be at least three years until he makes a full recovery, with a long road of physiotherapy ahead.
Despite the little boy handing his ordeal “surprisingly well”, Jett’s dad said the boy had a couple meltdowns, desperate to get up and run around again.
“Sometimes he says he wishes it didn’t happen and it was just a dream,” Mr Burgess said.
Mr Burgess and his wife, Kylie, said the support of the Starlight Foundation had meant the world to Jett’s recovery.
The foundation had kept their son’s mind occupied with computer games and activities while he recovered in hospital.
The family also thanked Ronald McDonald House, which allowed Jett’s family to be by his side during his stay at the Randwick hospital, saying the support helped lift his spirits and made a huge difference through his recovery.
