Above Watch: Last month, Cooper Tidmarsh lost his foot when it was run over by a lawnmower being driven by his dad, and now wants to warn others to avoid a similar situation, Kimberly Tams reports.
Lethbridge – Tavis Tidmarsh has a warning for homeowners: Keep lawn mower safety in mind, especially if you have kids. Tidmarsh says he was mowing the lawn as usual in early May, and didn’t realize his young son was following behind—and would soon lose his right foot.
“We came to a turn where I couldn’t make the turn without backing up, and he was trying to jump on the back where the hitch was and jump on and go for a ride,” said Tidmarsh. “I backed up and the lawnmower went over top of him. The bottom half of his body was underneath the motor blades.”
Five-year-old Cooper Tidmarsh has been in the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary since the beginning of May, recovering from the amputation.
“His right foot was amputated at the ankle,” said his father. “They were not able to do anything with his right foot. And he had an ulceration in his right butt cheek, but outside of that he did not have any injuries. It’s a real miracle.”
Benny Martins works at Western Tractor in Lethbridge, and is an expert in ride-a-long mowers. Martins says because of the operator’s limited visibility to the rear, back-over accidents are common.
“They are also increased by the fact that the noise of the mower makes it harder for the operator to hear the warning cry of a person behind him.”
Tidmarsh wants other parents to understand how important it is to keep lawn mower safety in mind, and is thankful his son will recover.
“The other night he said to me, ‘You ran me over with the lawnmower, but it’s going to be ok.’ Everything is going to be ok.”
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