SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A South Dakota woman is OK after a freak lawnmower accident sliced-open her neck. It could have been much worse. A flying piece of debris narrowly missed critical parts of her neck including her carotid artery and trachea.
We need to warn you that some viewers might find the following report disturbing.
"I thought that I got hit by a rock. It felt like something hit me and then fell off me. I didn't know that my neck had been sliced open," said Kendra Jensen.
"She's going to bleed out in front of me, that was the very first thing that came to my mind," added her husband, Andy Jensen.
Kendra describes herself as "extremely lucky."
"When I walked out the door, I started picking up a couple of toys, stood up, then all of a sudden I was hit."
Her husband was mowing their lawn when the mower kicked up a piece of debris.
"I was immediately just like 'that hurt,' and so I grabbed my neck. That's when I realized I was bleeding, and it was wet. And that's when I freaked out."
Kendra's husband saw her in pain and immediately knew what to do.
"He ran to his car and grabbed his trauma bag," explained Kendra. "I make fun of him all the time for having it. I'm like, 'we're never going to need that.'"
"So I just put my thumbs in it and started going with the gauze," said Andy.
An ambulance quickly arrived and took Kendra to the hospital.
She still doesn't know what hit her-- but whatever it was just barely missed her carotid artery, trachea, and vocal cords.
After the incident, she posted photos to facebook to show family and friends.
"My intent on posting what happened to me was to update my family and friends about it."
That post has now been shared more than 16,000 times -- and it has generated some backlash.
"The ones that keep making comments that are like 'you shouldn't have done this,' or just shaming my husband like it was his fault. He didn't even know I was outside."
She's not letting all the negativity affect her recovery though. Kendra and her husband hope her story will remind people that anything can happen in the blink of an eye.
"No one is definitely ever going to be outside again when I'm mowing," finished Andy.
