Two children are recovering at Tampa General Hospital after being injured in separate lawn mower accidents during the weekend.
A 4-year-old girl was injured in an accident in Hardee County on Friday. The other accident happened in Bokeelia in Lee County and injured a 3-year-old girl.
The rider of the mower in the second accident ran over the 3-year-old's foot. The child's injuries are being described as severe.
Meanwhile, 4-year-old Makaya Lee is recovering from a severe leg injury after she was run over by a lawn mower her father was operating outside the family's home.
Officials said the lawn mower hit the child and then flipped over.
In an emotional 911 call, the father of Makaya Lee, who has not been identified, gave his account of what happened.
"I was mowing the yard and I told my daughter to sit down and I didn’t back up," he said. "When I backed up, she went under the lawn mower."
Hospital officials have not released the exact conditions of the girls, saying only that the injuries are not life-threatening.
In Pinellas County, 2-year-old Ireland Nugent was badly injured in a similar accident earlier this year. Her feet were severed when she was run over by a lawn mower.
Ireland Nugent's mother, Nicole, has offered her support to the Lee family.
Nicole posted a petition on change.org to push for stricter lawn mower regulations. The petition needs 100 signatures before it can be emailed to state and federal representatives.
Ireland is now walking with the help of prosthetics.