Plenty of latchkey kids learn that you are not to bother your parents when they’re at work. Don’t call them unless someone is bleeding … badly. So when Alison Dorton’s son called her two times back-to-back on the first day of a new job, she realized something was wrong. When Alison called back her son Tripp, he told her that Sophia, Alison’s 3-year-old daughter, had cut her foot but it didn’t seem too serious.
Alison could hear her husband speaking to a 9-1-1 operator, however, explaining that the toddler’s foot had been run over by the lawn mower.
‘It’s not good,’ an EMT told Alison.
That’s when Alison started to panic, People reported. Thankfully, she was able to get off work and rush home. By the time she arrived, paramedics were already in her driveway and her son was cleaning up blood in their East Tennessee home.
Sophia and Alison’s husband Matthew, were in the back of the ambulance. Alison asked an EMT wrapping her daughter’s foot how bad it was. The EMT responded, “Well, it’s not good,” Alison recalled.
The scene was heartbreaking, Alison said.
The EMT instructed Alison and her husband to follow in their vehicle behind the ambulance. On their way to the hospital, Alison learned that Sophia ran in front of her husband while he was mowing the lawn, and she tripped and fell. She tripped and fell. Matthew let go of the self-propelling lawn mower and ran to his daughter.
“Seeing her hurt, especially for something that was preventable, was heartbreaking,” Alison says. “The fact that she ran across his path and tripped right in front of him was a ‘freak accident.’ He was watching her closely, being careful to keep her away from the mower until that happened.”
@debtfreewithali Honestly shout out to @Crocs – I will FOREVER be shouting from the rooftops for everyone to buy these shoes and I will forever buy them for all 5 of my kids. Please be kind. This was a freak accident that could have happened to anyone. Obviously we will never have her outside while he mows again.. it just all happened so fast & no one knows what they would do in a situation until they’re actually in it #crocs #croc #texasroadhouse #lawnmower #accident #freakaccident #hospital #trauma #emergency #ambulance ♬ original sound – Alison 🌸
Sophia usually doesn’t wear shoes.
Doctors had to sedate Sophia so they could properly stitch and close the wound. As they were sewing, Alison realized that the Crocs Sophia had been wearing were still perfectly intact. The only markers of trouble were some blood and grass stains.
When Alison told the story of her daughter’s accident on TikTok, she shared that her daughter doesn’t usually wear shoes when she plays outside. But now she’ll never stop buying them for her children.
The lawnmower missed all the important stuff.
The Crocs did more than just protect Sophia’s foot. The shoe got lodged in the lawn mower’s blades, stopping them from spinning and causing any additional damage. The actual cut happened around Sophia’s heel, hitting the fatty parts and missing the bones and tendons. “It was the best-case scenario for a pretty scary or bad case,” Alison shared, per the magazine.
Sophia is on the mend.
Today, Sophia is much better. Alison said she’s been a champ throughout her recovery.
“We’ve become frequent flyers at her pediatrician’s office to make sure she’s healing properly,” she told People. “She did break one stitch last night, but after talking to both the ER and our follow-up doctor, we agreed not to replace it, and she’s doing well! She’s even tiptoeing around, which is a good sign.”
