A 3-year-old Fremont boy who was run over by a riding lawn mower on Monday afternoon will reportedly undergo surgery Tuesday to try to save his leg.
Authorities said Carter Geddings lost his right toe and had part of his left leg mangled in the accident near Elkhorn, which occurred about 3:10 p.m. Monday at 7901 N. 216th St.
Sgt. Tucker Wheeler of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said several children and one adult were at the residence, an acreage belonging to the Gus Checketts family, at the time of the accident. Carter is the son of friends of the family and often spends time at the home, authorities said.
A person who answered the phone at the Checketts home and said she was a family member said Carter was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
Wheeler said the 3-year-old apparently went outside while a 17-year-old boy from the Checketts family was mowing grass behind the house on a Craftsman riding lawn mower. The 3-year-old was running around when he slipped and fell in front of the mower. The 17-year-old could not stop. The mower damaged a large portion of the 3-year-old’s lower body, especially his left leg. Authorities declined to identify the 17-year-old.
"Honestly, what we have here appears to be a sad accident," Wheeler said.
A helicopter landed in a field next door to the acreage and took the 3-year-old to Creighton University Medical Center in critical condition.
The 17-year-old boy, Wheeler said, was "very distraught and, as you would expect, very shook up by the accident."
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