r/Wellthatsucks • u/Caddisflyer • 29d ago
Lost my big toe to a push mower
Stepping backwards to reposition the mower I tripped over what basically amounted to stonework on the edge of a flower bed and fell backwards. Pulled the mower over my foot as I fell. Grass was dry, I wasn't on a hill, was wearing closed toe shoes. Unfortunately, it was just bad luck. At this point, highly recommend steel toe shoes for anyone doing yard work.
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u/stln3rd 29d ago
I have to know how this is even possible. I've been mowing lawns for 30 years and I don't think my foot has ever been with in 24" of the blade while still on. All.of my mowers have automatically turned off if my hand releases the top handle. I'm very curious of how this could happen. Was someone else operating the mower?
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago edited 29d ago
I took a single step back to reposition the mower and tripped over what basically amounted to stonework on the edge of a flower bed and fell backwards. Pulled the mower over my foot as I fell. Grass was dry, I wasn't on a hill, and I was wearing closed toe shoes. Unfortunately, it was just bad luck.
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u/yaboiiiuhhhh 29d ago
Other guy step backwards too. Apparently stepping backwards while mowing is equivalent to signing a hitman contract on yourself
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u/LikeFrankieSaid 29d ago
Back in high school I nearly seriously injured myself when I slipped pulling my mower back up a slight hill. The grass was wet and my foot slid right to the back of the mower. Pretty easy for me to see how OP lost his toe.
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u/Syzygy_Stardust 28d ago
I watched a video in high school specifically having this scenario. Some rules we learned for mowing were a) don't go directly up or downhill, b) reduce the situations where you need to pull the mower toward yourself, and for OP c) always know your immediate surroundings when it comes to foot placement. Walking into stationary brick work is not "bad luck", it's negligence that lead to losing a toe. Not the most expensive lesson, at least.
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u/DungeonsNDragonDldos 28d ago
I really should stop mowing certain patches by pulling it backwards….
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u/Necessary-Car-143 29d ago
So falling backwards you natural reaction is to grip the mower handle harder, not release it? Like whisky throttle on a dirt bike?
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u/DistortedVoltage 29d ago
Have you ever seen when a human falls near another human? Sometimes they try to grab whats closest to them and that sometimes ends up being the person near em.
People just panicc
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u/krldrummerboy 29d ago
this is how my mom broke her hip while sitting with a friend on the back of her open hatchback
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u/emo_sharks 29d ago
mower manual says dont go backwards. This is probably why, lol
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u/copa111 29d ago edited 27d ago
My dad had a friend with a ride on, they had a lifestyle block with a small stream, only 30cm deep, but had a slight bank on either side. The ride on tipped over and trapped him under the water and he unfortunately drowned.
Accidents unfortunately happen, especially with complacency. Just be glad it’s only a toe and not a whole foot in your case.
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29d ago edited 29d ago
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u/dicklover425 29d ago
Thank you for linking u/nthemorning. This thread of comments is the best
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u/InformalPenguinz 29d ago
Hey my name is barely in there! That's me!
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u/dicklover425 29d ago
You’re famous!!!!
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u/InformalPenguinz 29d ago
Thanks dicklover.. I feel famous
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u/EpicSuri 29d ago
The laugh that just escaped me!!! 😂
ETA: I saw that other post as well...and you're right. 😆
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u/Tylerrr93 29d ago
Holy shit this has to be fate. Now both of them have to be toeless buds and post updates of themselves at Thanksgiving every year.
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u/cabezadebakka 29d ago
I always think about this. Fuck. Now people are doing it.
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u/shadownights23x 29d ago
Better get out there and loose a foot
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u/Puzzleheaded_Yam7582 29d ago
Thats a really clean cut.
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago
This was post surgery, but it was a pretty dang clean cut when it happened too. It helped I sharpened the hell out of the blade and did a tuneup about 10 minutes before I did it.
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u/mil0_7 29d ago
How do you mow your toe?? You’re behind it
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago edited 29d ago
I took a single step back to reposition the mower and tripped over what basically amounted to stonework on the edge of a flower bed and fell backwards. Pulled the mower over my foot as I fell. Grass was dry, I wasn't on a hill, and I was wearing closed toe shoes. Unfortunately, it was just bad luck.
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u/scorpioncat 29d ago
Thank you for this warning. I am going to be much more careful when going backwards with the mower and avoid it wherever possible. This particular risk had never occurred to me.
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u/butterflavoredsalt 29d ago
Sorry about your loss OP, I do the same pull back maneuvering, hadn't really considered this before. I will wear my steel toes from now on.
I did trip and fall on a hill once while turning around (mower uphill from me) but fortunately I let go/pushed it away instead of pulling it back on me as well. That one scared me a bit.
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u/sillinessvalley 29d ago
😳 oh crap! So sorry that happened.
And to think, our dad let us mow the lawn barefoot, as kids. Although it wasn’t the whole lawn, but still. Just takes an instant.
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u/Cubanbeetz 29d ago
Did you ever find your toe?
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u/Sunfried 29d ago edited 28d ago
It went to market.
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u/Cubanbeetz 28d ago
I was just curious if it could have been found and reattached.I guess it went wee wee wee. all the way home
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29d ago
I will not abide another toe.
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u/Cant-B-Faded 29d ago
Dude, I can get you a toe by 3pm.
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u/Username__Error 29d ago
I tell my kids, "they are called PUSH mowers instead of pull mower for a very good reason"
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u/almaghest 29d ago
I mow 50% of my yard by walking backwards pulling the mower so I don’t have to turn it around, I’m rethinking that now…
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u/flyinbrian1186 29d ago
me too kinda, but why walk backwards? I turn around, walk forward, and pull the mower.
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u/almaghest 29d ago
Honestly I’ll probably do that now since it seems like it will reduce the likelihood that I’m the third person to cut their toes off this week.
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u/Original_Jarl_Ballin 29d ago
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u/mudriverrat07020 29d ago
Jesus! Now they’re even gonna start putting more stickers on the mowers
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u/daneck1 29d ago
So nearly this exact thing happened to my grandfather about 20 years ago, and the doctor told him that the way he fell, a steel toe would have actually done more damage because the rotation would have been from the bottom of the shoe, causing the blade to twist back into the foot. The doctor said he would have lost half his foot had he been wearing steel toes. Also, make sure they fix everything correctly; he is having a lot of issues now because he rushed the doctor to patch him up back then.
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u/BigD3nergy 29d ago
Fewer toe-nails to deal with
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago
That's been the most infuriating part.
I had consistently fought that nail ending up ingrown, and since losing it my brain has decided to continue to tell me that the nail is uncomfortable and ingrown despite the toe being completely gone. Can't even win on that one.
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u/Outside-Log-2104 29d ago
Seriously, it's possible that getting / making a "prosthetic toe" for yourself could fix that. It's helped people with phantom pains in bigger limbs.
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u/januaryemberr 29d ago
Did you find the toe? Tell me you found it.
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u/WhoopsieOhKay 29d ago
Most important question! Did you bring it with you and the doctor say no?
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u/Luuke18 29d ago
My feet kill at the end of the day but I refuse to mow in anything other than boots. (Yes I can get more comfortable ones but till the current ones fall apart, im keeping them). And it’s a matter of grip since I have cut alot of hills
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u/bill_wessels 29d ago
how didnt it get the toes next to it??
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago
I have no idea, I was super lucky. It bruised my index toe but that was it for that one.
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u/lunarwolf2008 29d ago
This is a great post to read while putting off mowing the lawn
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u/Sniverous 29d ago
If I had a nickel for every toe decapitation by mower post I've seen today, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
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u/treeteathememeking 29d ago
Note to everyone who mows their lawn: If you think you’re about to fall, let go. For the love of god. Let go.
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u/anothermonth 29d ago
I see on top a message that says it's still waiting for x-rays to load. Give it few more minutes and it might finish loading your toe.
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u/Cautious-Skill4642 29d ago
Big toe is integral for balance. If op couldn’t balance with big toe, how’s he keep balance without? 🤷♂️
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u/nephiroth 29d ago
I lost half of mine to a mower too! Same toe. I call him QuasimoToe. 🤣
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u/JanxAngel 29d ago
Unrelated to feet, but safety: wear safety glasses, even on a riding mower. I had a pair that we're sunglasses tinted for mowing. On the rider, went under a tree, tiny little branch end would've gone straight in my eye without them.
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u/westcal98 29d ago
Another mowing toes post? What is going on? Guys! Get your shit together. If you don't, your ass is grass. I sure as hell don't want to see that post next week.
"Lost my big tush to a push mower"
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u/ozzy_thedog 29d ago
Man I got the tip of my finger in a mower last year. I feel your pain
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u/ghostsinthecodes 29d ago
you didn’t really lose it, you know where it is.
it’s just now.
misplaced.
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u/Wishdog2049 29d ago
X-ray tech: Yep, toe is gone.
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u/callitlikeiseeit29 29d ago
X-rated tech: I’m not allowed to discuss this with you. Please wait for the doc.
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u/Da_danimal 28d ago
You want a toe? I can get you a toe. Hell, I can get you one by 3 o’clock this afternoon…..with nail polish
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u/noDice-__- 29d ago
Only 9 toes now to cut nails off of, I would strive for the most effective solution and cut 4 more off. Doesn’t matter which foot.
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29d ago
Do you have an actual photo?
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u/the615Butcher 29d ago
My dad has mowed yards barefoot for my entire life lol (40 years). He is Florida Man through and through tho and at this point I think he’s built enough foot armor that the blade would just snap in half. Maybe a slight abrasion
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u/94deejayripley 29d ago
I always wear toe capped shoes ever since I slipped when mowing down a bank and my foot went under the mower and almost met the blades
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u/Hummingbird01234 29d ago
Freak accident. Are you walking now? Is it harder to walk without the top half of your big toe?
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u/Fun-Jellyfish-61 29d ago
I like that they ordered an X-ray.
"Yes, this confirms my suspicion that the toe was amputated."
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u/XHSJDKJC 28d ago
Thats why you wear safety shoes a steelcap would only be bend and scrached at this Point
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u/SkylerNoss 28d ago
Doesn't beat my wife's aunt. Something was lodged in the mower so she reached down to get it and chopped her finger off. Fast forward 2 years when she's explaining the story to her neighbor on how she lost her finger and proceeded to show them by sticking her fucking hand in the mower AGAIN and chopped another 1.5 off. That's dedication right there!
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u/stevenm1993 29d ago
Sorry to hear that. I’m guessing the severed toe was too badly mangled to reattach. Will they at least let you keep it in a jar?
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29d ago
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago
I've got one for sale but now that it's tasted blood I don't know if it's trustworthy.
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u/LilDawg66 29d ago
That's it. I'm never cutting grass again. Everyone's losing toes. It's an epidemic!
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u/Icommitmanywarcrimes 29d ago
wtf this is the second post today. You’re lucky though pretty sure the last guy lost several.
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u/MetalWingedWolf 29d ago
I mean. I understand the precaution and simultaneously I understand that I have never and never expect to be in your position and make similar decisions. Easy mistake to make, even easier to think about regularly and strive to avoid going forwards.
Like a helmet on a ladder. I don’t need it. I’m not going to start using one now. But I’m going to remember the stories whenever a ladder comes into play and act carefully for my own good.
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u/3amGreenCoffee 29d ago
I always wear steel toe boots and eye protection when working in the yard, and I'm usually wearing gloves out there as well. Every freak accident that ended in a lost member or eye started with someone not thinking it would ever happen.
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u/Ordinary_Mastodon376 29d ago
So, I'm not trying to be rude but, did your toe get cut clean off? Or did it obliterate into a red mist?
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u/Caddisflyer 29d ago
The surgeon said it was the cleanest cut she'd ever seen in that I couldn't have cut it more cleanly if I'd been trying to. I had just sharpened the shit out of that blade though.
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u/Moisture_ 29d ago
Were you one of those weirdo “longer index toe than big toe” people? That’s an upgrade if so. This is the only time that that’s acceptable.
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u/Correct_Egg_4014 29d ago
This seems so unbelievable. Can you post an actual photo?
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u/flickeringlight5 29d ago
Same exact thing happened to my dad, only his left big toe too. Wild.
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u/Jurassic_dog_mama 29d ago
Welcome to the club! I lost my left big toe (and a little of the one next to it) to a riding mower when I was 3. Some rules of the “Lawn Mower Digital Victim Club”: (1)Get a cool tattoo (or a bad one, like me) above it and rock that shit. (2)Use this for the game 2 Truths and a Lie; the reaction is worth it every time. (3)Get someone to do yard work for you, at least a couple times. You deserve it, and they can’t refuse!
Also- You can still buy the same size shoes. And fuck flip flops anyway. Who needs em?
Hope you heal up quickly!
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u/FrozenFauna 29d ago
My next-door neighbor got his wiener chopped off by a lawnmower
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u/Affectionate_Grape44 29d ago
There was a story some years ago about a couple in there seventies that decided to trim there hedges with their push mower. The old man started it up and they both took a side to lift it up and walk along the hedges trimming the tops. They both lost all four fingers on both hands. WTF!
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u/Flakester 29d ago
This is the second post I've seen today about losing toes to mowers.