A young mom was walking down her driveway when she heard an eerie but familiar sound. Before she could react, it hit her. In immense pain, she dropped to the ground realizing the mistake her family had made.
Alayna Walles George was walking down her driveway with her mother on a Sunday afternoon when tragedy struck, leaving the woman’s thigh severely wounded. Looking at her mangled leg and reflecting on what caused the gruesome injury, Alayna knew she had been lucky and decided to warn others.
“I’ve debated on posting about my accident,” Alayna wrote in a Facebook post, accompanied by the injury she had suffered. “A few friends have suggested that I share. It’s been on my mind all week, and I just hope that it can shed light and prevent a future accident for someone else!” she added.
“My mom and I were walking down the driveway to go check out my backyard,” Alayna recalled. “We heard that awful sound,” she added. “Then, it hit me. It felt like I had been shot in the leg. I’ve never actually been shot, but I imagine this is what it’s like. I had immediate immense pain in my thigh and was knocked to the ground. I sat there in disbelief at just how hard ‘it’ hit me.”
As Alayna looked down, she saw “major bleeding” coming from a large, deep gash in her leg and a huge bruise immediately beginning to form. Although she was in incredible pain and knew she needed medical attention, Alayna was immediately thankful that it was her leg and not her “face, head, chest, or other vital areas” that suffered the blow. As her mind drifted to her children, she became even more grateful.
Thankful that it was her and not the precious tiny body of one of her kids that was hit, she explained that the noise she heard was a familiar one — it was the sound of the mower running over something it shouldn’t. Although she knew her husband was finishing up one last small patch of the yard when she headed outside, she said she and her mother were a “good distance from his mowing, at least 20 feet or so.”
Even though she believed she was a safe distance away, Alayna was struck when the mower ran over a horseshoe, hiding in the grass, and sent it hurling towards her. “We don’t even have horses and have no idea how it was there,” Alayna said, which is why it was all the more important for her to share what happened.
Realizing the mistake her family had made and how much worse things could have been, Alayna wanted to remind others to be more vigilant. “We all get comfortable with our daily living and chores. We forget to take basic safety precautions that can prevent awful accidents,” she admitted.
Again reflecting on how lucky she was that it was her and not one of her children who took the blow, she added, “I’m certain it would’ve killed them, and I mean that as seriously as it sounds. I just hope someone reading this will remember my leg and take extra precaution with others around while mowing.” Alayna concluded with a heartfelt plea she wanted everyone to hear: “Please, please, always be aware of your surroundings and make sure no one is near while mowing.”
