Newlywed's horror gardening accident with ride-on lawn mower: 'I'm going to die'
Megan McKee was tending to her lawn at her NSW property when tragedy struck – with an ear-piercing scream causing neighbours to rush to the scene.
Settling into their new life together as a married couple, Megan McKee and Stephanie Pascoe were blissfully enjoying a "typical Saturday" at their new home as a family. But while mowing the lawn at their property in Paxton, NSW, Megan suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream — and in that moment her wife Steph knew something was horribly wrong.
Steph, 31, was playing with Megan's toddler son on the grass at the time.
"I left the child and ran. Her injuries were very apparent very quickly," she told Yahoo News Australia. "I panicked. I didn't really expect it to be the extent that it was".
While she doesn't remember quite how it happened, Megan, 33, recalls putting her foot down on the grass seconds before the ride-on mower ran over it. She was trimming the nature strip in the front yard when the mower hit an embankment, causing it and her to become unsteady.
The first thing Megan said to her new wife was "I'm going to die". "Looking at her injuries and the amount of blood that was coming out at that time, it probably wasn't a far-fetched thought," Steph said.
"It almost sliced her entire foot off. It went between a second and third toe and then all the way down to the ankle.
"Neighbours started coming out from everywhere... one called the ambulance and another took her shirt off down to her bra to use as a tourniquet (which stops the flow of blood).
"We were just so lucky that our neighbours jumped straight into action, doing absolutely everything to save her life and her leg. I was just focused on trying to keep her calm".
Newlywed's leg to be amputated after horror gardening mishap
The couple had married just a week earlier in a beautiful Hunter Valley ceremony. It was "the happiest day of their lives," their celebrant and friend Sarah Chippendale told Yahoo.
Weeks before, they'd purchased the property together. Megan, an HR manager, had used the ride-on mower only once or twice in the three weeks they'd owned it, but never on this section of the grass.
The 33-year-old has remained in hospital since the injury last week. She was airlifted to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle. Upon arrival, she underwent emergency surgery but due to the extent of her injuries, they were told the following morning that her lower leg couldn't be saved and will need to be amputated.
"She had anticipated that but I was very unprepared," said Steph. "I was quite optimistic.
"Our immediate thoughts were 'how are we going to look after [Megan's son]' then 'how are we going to pay for this'. We're both now off work so that's probably the biggest stress we have."
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The couple's friend and marriage celebrant Sarah has since started a GoFundMe for the couple to help ease the financial burden the tragic accident has caused. She told Yahoo she "can't even wrap my head around" what happened.
"I nearly vomited [when they told me]," she said. "It was absolutely horrendous, it's going to be a long journey. They deserve all the help they can get".
Megan is now facing an extended hospital stay, rehabilitation, multiple surgeries and time off work while she recovers and adjusts to life with her prosthetic leg — all while trying to raise a child and manage their mortgage repayments.
"There's just a lot of unknowns at the moment. We're just scared, to be honest. Because we don't know exactly what's coming. We think it will be daily rehab for the foreseeable future," Steph said.
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