A four-year-old boy from rural Iuka was injured Tuesday evening when a riding lawn mower backed over him, trapping his leg and ankle beneath the deck and blade before firefighters could free him. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital for treatment, and authorities have not released his name.
According to WJBD, the incident was reported at 6:08 p.m. Tuesday. The boy had been out in the yard when he came up behind the mower unnoticed. Iuka Fire Chief Kenny Eagan said one of his legs and his ankle became trapped underneath the mower deck and blade, and Iuka firefighters had to remove the equipment to free him.
Air Evac Called to Rural Intersection
The Iuka Fire Department and United Medical Response assisted an Air Evac helicopter in landing near the home, which sits at the intersection of Quail Run and Kinmundy Roads, the outlet's report notes. From there, the boy was transported to a St. Louis hospital for treatment. His current condition has not been made public.
A Recurring Danger for Young Children
Backover incidents involving riding mowers are a documented hazard for small children nationwide. Investigate Midwest reports that the watchdog group FairWarning identified 133 cases of young children injured by riding-mower backovers since 2004, with eight victims killed and others suffering amputations and severe injuries to internal organs and bones. A separate 2017 study cited in the same report estimated 1,641 backover injuries nationwide from 1990 through 2014, with 70 percent of those hurt younger than five years old.
The mower industry adopted a voluntary standard in 2003 requiring blades to stop spinning in reverse, though manufacturers could still offer override controls, Investigate Midwest notes. The same report states that a federal safety rule covering walk-behind mowers specifically excluded riding mowers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned people to keep children away from riding mowers, according to a release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Other Cases Share Grim Similarities
The Iuka case echoes other backover incidents in the region. In Iowa, a boy named Tate Manahl was three years old when he was backed over by a mower in 2017; he has since endured more than 30 surgeries to repair severe injuries to his legs and internal organs, per Investigate Midwest's reporting. Closer to home, a child in Rosewood Heights was struck by a riding mower after a family member did not see them, suffering severe trauma to both feet before being flown by Air Evac to a St. Louis hospital, according to Riverbender.com. That Rosewood Heights call came in at 6:30 p.m. on a Monday, the outlet reported, a timing strikingly similar to Tuesday's call in Iuka.
