Two-year-old loses foot after lawnmower accident

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A tragic accident in Prince George County has led to a two-year-old boy having his foot amputated, but thanks to quick thinking, little Cohen is on the mend. However, his family, which has ties to Hampton Roads, still needs a lot of help. "And I just cried out, please take my baby out of pain,” said Cohen's mother, Brittney Walls, who went to school in Hampton Roads and began her career at Chesapeake General Hospital — now called Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. She later worked at Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, and her parents and in-laws live here in Hampton Roads. Last Friday, Cohen and his three siblings were at their dad's house, playing in the front yard while dad mowed the lawn on a riding mower. At one point, the mower rolled backwards, rolling over Cohen's foot. After calling 911, Cohen's dad called mom, Brittney Walls. "The thoughts that went through my head was, 'Is he going to make it? Is he going to bleed out?" She's a family nurse practitioner, and was an ER nurse before that, and she knows how quickly things can go wrong. "Nothing a mother wants to go through," Walls said. "And just knowing you're not there and your baby's hurting." Cohen's dad lives 45 minutes away from the hospital, and he said it felt like an eternity waiting for the medics. He is also a police EMT and put his knowledge to good use while they waited. "He had already applied the tourniquet, which ultimately has saved his life," Walls said. Cohen was flown to Children's Hospital of Richmond, where they amputated his foot just above the ankle. Recovery will be long, for all of them. Walls said her three other children will likely need therapy after what they experienced. She said she's hesitant about letting any of their children outside when the lawnmower is on. Cohen's labs are looking good, and Walls said they may be discharged by Friday. "He's getting back to his normal, cranky, two-year-old toddler behavior," she said, "so I know he's going to be resilient." Recovery will be long and expensive. Both Brittney Walls and Cohen’s dad just started new jobs and don’t have paid time off yet. If you’d like to help, you visit their GoFundMe page here. You can also donate directly to Destination Church in Hopewell, Virginia. You can also send mail to their P.O. Box: Brittney Wells, PO Box 2933, Chester, VA 23831.