Lindsay Dewey wants to share her grief to help prevent what happened to one-year-old son Reed from happening to small children elsewhere, including in the US and UK
A grief-stricken mum wants to warn other parents after her 22-month-old son died in a household accident.
Reed Dewey suffered a “severe traumatic brain injury” and a fractured skull after a large mirror fell on him at home. Paramedics rushed to the address in Idaho, US, but were unable to save Reed.
It is understood the youngster was playing with his suction cup bowls, one of which he stuck on the mirror and, in pulling “back and forth to pry it off,” the mirror toppled. Mum Lindsay was in the kitchen making dinner when the accident happened but, upon hearing the noise, she dashed into the room to lift the item off Reed.
But he was lifeless and so Lindsay, a mum of three, called for an ambulance. Reed was pronounced dead within minutes, leaving Lindsay and her firefighter husband Eric heartbroken.
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Lindsay has now shared her grief on her public profile Instagram, warning parents of the dangers of accidents in the home. She wrote: “To make a long story short, apparently Reed had one of his suction cup bowls and stuck it on the mirror and was pulling it back and forth to pry it off (we’re assuming) and he pulled the mirror down on himself.
“I never even heard him playing by/with the mirror – until I heard it fall and then within five seconds I lifted it off of him… Never did we expect that it would be so serious that he wouldn’t survive it.”
The mirror wasn’t designed to be mounted or anchored to a wall, and was so heavy there was “no way” her children could be strong enough to move it on their own, said Lindsay. She added the family usually had an accent chair in front of the mirror too, but that it had just been moved because their dog had peed on the rug.
Continuing her emotional social media post, Lindsay added: “We both are still in complete shock that this is what took our baby from us. We’re only sharing this because we don’t want this happening to anybody.”
Since the accident, more than 50,000 new followers – mostly strangers – have liked the mother’s Instagram account, where she shares updates on her bereavement and tips for others to try to cope with grief.
Lindsay had feared she may have faced a backlash for coming forward with her story, but stressed the reaction has so far been supportive. She added in the social media message: “I’m just your average mama of three, homemaker, fire wife, who is obsessed with her family, living in Idaho. To paint the picture that I’m just another self-centered influencer is appalling.”
