Child Hit By Lawn Mower Nearly Loses Leg: Sarasota County Sheriff

SARASOTA, FL — A 3-year-old boy riding a lawn mower with his father Saturday afternoon nearly lost his leg after being thrown from the machine and hit by the blades when it tipped over, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The child, Daniel Mortimer, was struck by the lawn mower at his family’s home in the 3900 block of Torrey Pines Boulevard in Sarasota around 5:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said.

He was rushed to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with severe lacerations to his right leg, according to the sheriff's incident report. His condition was not known.

The child’s father, Jeffrey Mortimer, told deputies that he was mowing the grass on a riding lawn mower with his son sitting on his lap.

As he was mowing downhill, the mower tipped over, throwing both off, according to the incident report.

The lawn mower blades were still in motion, causing two severe lacerations to Daniel’s leg — one above and one below his kneecap. The boy also had two fractures from where the blade hit his bone, the report said.

The injuries were not life-threatening, but doctors at the hospital told deputies that they were not sure he would be able to keep his leg because of the severity of the injuries.

Daniel was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for surgery.