An Oklahoma grandma is speaking out after her grandson experienced a life-changing accident. The toddler lost his finger after it got caught in the chain of his tricycle. Quick action prevented the boy from losing additional fingers but not without damage. Now, the grandma is left to care for the little boy as he recovers from the traumatic accident. She is sharing his story so that other parents remain vigilant about keeping an eye on their kids. You may not think of your child losing a finger on a bike, but anything is possible.
The grandma, Mandi Truman, spoke with KOCO about the accident in the hopes that it won’t happen to another child. She explained that her 3-year-old grandson was pushing his large tricycle from behind when his fingers became caught in the chain.
“He just barely moved forward, and that’s all it took for that chain to grab ahold of his little finger, and then another one and another one,” she said.
Her son, who was sitting outside with her and the little boy, quickly maneuvered the tricycle in a way that freed the boy’s fingers. “He doesn’t have a middle finger from here up, but he has all the rest,” she shared with the news outlet.
The toddler was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Truman, who is the boy’s main caregiver, has started a GoFundMe to cover costs while he recuperates. One of his fingers was fractured and required stitches, while another one was able to be reattached, she explained on the page.
Although this was clearly an accident, Truman wanted to highlight how the toddler lost his finger to hopefully prevent it from happening to other families. “In a lot of ways I blame myself, but if I can help other families and other babies prevent this from happening, put me on blast,” she told KOCO.
A self-proclaimed single mom, Truman also has two sons she cares for. On the GFM page, she explained that her grandson was hospitalized shortly before the toddler lost his finger.
“I am doing everything that I can to stay strong for my children and grandson, but I am at my end. I cannot work right now due to caring for him full-time and my bills are piling up,” she shared.
“Every single dollar will go directly to keeping a roof over our heads, covering bills and making sure my grandson has what he needs during his recovery,” she added.
