Tractor rollovers, grain suffocations, deadly fumes, electrocution—the list goes on. Farming is one of the deadliest professions in the world. Second-generation dairy farmer, Cathy Mess, is fully aware of this. She also considers herself very lucky to not add to that statistic.
Six years ago, a farm accident on Cathy’s Watertown, Wis., dairy farm nearly turned fatal for the 64-year-old. The morning of July 6, 2015, began like nearly every other morning for Cathy. She went out to feed the cows on her family’s 100-cow dairy, a job she has done day-after-day, pretty much since forever.
“That morning the cows had a bunch of feed leftover,” Cathy recalls. She then decided to park the truck-mounted mixer to get in a skid loader to move some feed before dumping the fresh feed to the cows.
For most farmers, daily chores become routine, and this holds true for Cathy, who mistakenly forgot to pull the hand brake before getting out of the truck. As she got out, the truck began rolling forward. Cathy slipped and fell, and the truck rolled over her—all happening within seconds.
Lying, bleeding on the driveway, near the west end of the machine shed on her farm, Cathy was still alive. Her son, Pat, was in the barn milking cows and she knew he generally never has his phone on him while milking. She also knew her husband, Clem, who was “hard of hearing” would never hear her yell. She yelled anyways, but nobody came to rescue her – not even a bicyclist who rode by the farm.
Digging in her front pant pocket to grab her phone to call for help, Cathy realized that not only was her phone gone, but so were her pants and the top layer of flesh on her leg. She skimmed around and quickly saw her boot lying with blood running out of it and looked above and thankfully saw her phone. She crawled to it and called 911 herself.
A few miracles happened in that moment. One is that her flip phone still worked and the second is that an EMT who lived two miles away, was getting into his work truck when the 911 call came in. Arriving just a few minutes later, the EMT medic asked Clem where the accident was. Up to that point, Clem was unaware of the horrific accident that happened on the other side of the farm. Likewise, Pat had friends calling him, questioning what was going on. Pat was clueless; until he stepped outside of the parlor and caught sight of his mother, causing him to take a step backward; questioning what his eyes were seeing.
The hours and days that followed are a blur for Cathy who lied unconscious for two weeks in a UW-Madison hospital. Her daughter-in-law, Carrie stayed by her side the entire time. “She was my bulldog,” Cathy says. “And, made sure I was receiving the best care.”
The accident caused Cathy’s left leg to be amputated, just above her knee, as well as lose most of the skin on her thigh. She spent five and half months in various hospitals and had a total of 12 surgeries related to the accident. She came home right before Thanksgiving and while she was thankful to be home, she says it was a challenge to adapt to the life-altering change.
“During a very tough time for me and my family, people stepped up,” Cathy says. “I’m beyond grateful for the friends and neighbors who lend a helping hand in so many ways—from changing my bandages, mowing grass, and so much more.”
Cathy jokes she is now retired, as she no longer feeds cows. Since the accident, either Pat or a full-time employee mixes feed in the morning and Cathy admits it is scary for her to watch others feed cows without thinking of the accident. She tries to stay busy and helps a bit with bookkeeping and can also be found on either her UTV or lawnmower – picking up rocks, silage plastic, or putzing around the farm. Cathy enjoys time spent with family, including her two grandson’s Silas, 5 and Ben, 3, as they explore on the farm. “They bring a smile to my face,” she says. “I love going for treasure hunts (rock picking) with the boys.”
The mental challenge of overcoming all that she has been through isn’t easy. Cathy will tell you that. She struggled with learning to wear a prosthesis and has had more surgeries – some accident-related – some not – that have set her backwards. “Getting going again isn’t all that easy,” she admits. “I’m kind of lazy and I can’t get up and do things like I once could.”
With her husband’s ‘hard of hearing’, Cathy will frequently text her son, Pat, to make sure everything is okay or learn about what’s going on outside on the farm. “My husband still has a flip phone and doesn’t text,” she says. “Pat understands that I need a thumbs up throughout the day.”
Cathy says she is getting better about not having to always have her phone on her. “At first I wore a vest, so I could put the phone there and zip it up,” she says. “Now, I can set it down occasionally without the constant worry.”
According to Cathy’s daughter-in-law, Carrie the day of the accident changed everything for their family and their farm. “In the days since we have all had to adjust to our new normal, but Cathy has obviously gone through the most,” she says. “In all that she has been through, there was only one day where she broke down. I don’t know that anyone else could stay as strong as she has when faced with the challenges she has been dealt.”
Six years have passed by, yet the memory of that unforgettable day hasn’t faded. Cathy realizes how lucky she is to be alive and credits her flip phone for saving her life. “My kids wanted me to get a smartphone,” she says. “I’m glad I didn’t have one back then because it would not have survived the accident.” Ironically, Cathy’s flip phone never worked again after she made that lifesaving 911 call.
