It happened in the blink of an eye — an accident that left a lasting impact on 2-year-old Emerson Spekis of Sparrows Point, Maryland.

In August 2014, the sun was shining, and the weather was nice. Neighbors were outside in their yards enjoying the day. Emerson was outside with his family as another family member was finishing cutting the grass. That’s when Emerson approached the lawn mower, and, in an instant, his left leg and foot were severely injured from the mower’s sharp blades.

Tens of thousands of people each year are injured by lawn mowers in the U.S. The medical team at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center only sees a small fraction of these types of injuries; however, they are often critical and sometimes life-threatening. They can include deep cuts, fractures, dislocated bones and sprains, or loss of limbs or fingers.

After Emerson’s accident, his family and neighbors rushed to his aid, making a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. “It was a blur,” Emerson’s mother, Wendy Spekis, recalls.

A helicopter soon carried Emerson to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. There, he underwent a procedure to clean grass and debris from his wound to prevent infections. The orthopaedic and plastic surgery teams attempted to save what they could of Emerson’s leg. The accident left him without a left ankle and foot.

Emerson spent about three weeks in the hospital, and then transferred to another facility for rehabilitation to prevent joint stiffness and maximize his mobility.

As Emerson grew, he began using a prosthetic device as his left foot and ankle. “He’s sort of a seasoned pro at his prosthetic,” Wendy says. His prosthetic is replaced each year to support his growth.

Now 15 years old, Emerson enjoys the outdoors — playing sports with friends and going crabbing, fishing and hunting with his dad and brothers.

Emerson has become involved in advocacy and education related to his experience. In 2024, he visited Annapolis to speak with members of the Maryland General Assembly about creating equitable access to prosthetics for individuals with disabilities. He is also known to spend time teaching physical therapy students about his capabilities and recommending helpful exercises for patients, as well as talking with and sharing stories to inspire patients with limb loss. “It’s encouraging for kids to see him running and jumping around,” Wendy says.

In summer 2025, Erin Honcharuk, M.D., pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the Children’s Center, and members of the plastic surgery team performed a follow-up surgery on Emerson to help with pain caused by bony overgrowth, which is common in kids with amputations, as well as scar tissue behind his knee that became stretched and tightened as he grew, to improve his range of motion.

Emerson continues to see Honcharuk every six months, along with other members of his medical care team.

“These types of injuries can be incredibly traumatizing for patients and families,” Honcharuk says. “But Emerson has made great progress since the accident, and is now a very healthy and active teenager.”

Honcharuk offers these tips to help prevent lawn mower injuries:

• Children should be at least 12 years old to use a push lawn mower, and 16 years old to operate a riding lawn mower.
• Before mowing the lawn, make sure younger children are indoors or at a safe distance away from the area to be mowed.
• Use a lawn mower with safety features such as a handle that stops the blade and forward motion if it is released.
• Wear hearing and eye protection and sturdy shoes that cover the toes when using a lawn mower.

Emerson and Wendy Spekis, as well as pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Erin Honcharuk, are available for media interviews. 

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