CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rosie and Leah are neighbors in a close-knit community in Cattaraugus County.
On May 20, Rosie was on her riding lawn mower and both their lives changed forever.
“I just so happened to look out the window and saw my neighbor go up the hill towards her mailbox and the front tire hit the mailbox and it pinned her down on the ground,” Leah said.
When the mower flipped, Rosie was trapped underneath it.
As soon as Leah saw the incident out the window, she called 911 and raced out of the house to try to help Rosie. She ran door to door to get more help from neighbors.
Rosie said she could hear Leah running down the street yelling for help.
It eventually took three people to roll the lawn mower off Rosie. Leah’s help didn’t stop there. She used more emergency skills she learned in Girl Scouts.
“I just tried to keep her comfortable, talk to her, keep her nice and cool out of the sun just until the ambulance got here,” Leah said.
Rosie broke 14 bones including ones in her back, collarbone, sternum,and nine ribs.
“I can’t thank her enough that she did save my life because it would’ve been terrible to know I was on my own tractor in my own lawn and I had to depart that way with no one being with me,” Rosie said.
Leah was awarded the Girl Scout Lifesaving Award, an honor only given to a handful of girls nationwide each year. She hopes other girls can be inspired by her story.
“Help others, be kind, try your best, and just be calm when needed. Make sure you pay attention so you learn and have those resources if needed in the future,” she said.
Kayla Green is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.