A 3-year-old child who was ran over by a lawnmower Saturday near Cary remains in critical but stable condition, officials report.

The Cary Fire Protection District was called at 12:41 p.m. Saturday to the 28700 block of West Kristy Lane near Cary, where paramedics found a young child who they determined “had been run over by an industrial-style lawnmower,” Cary Fire Protection District spokesperson Alex Vucha wrote in a news release.

A preliminary investigation found a 3½-year-old boy was riding on an industrial lawnmower with his father that requires operators to be in a standing position. It is believed the child was initially in front of the operator and he fell or jumped off when the mower began backing up, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Christopher Covelli said in an email to the Northwest Herald.

“Unfortunately, the mower deck rolled over one of the child’s legs, causing major injuries,” Covelli said. “A neighbor applied a tourniquet above the child’s wounds to stop the bleeding, using a T-shirt, likely saving the boy’s life. Applying a tourniquet is very important in a traumatic injury, such as this.”

The child was transported by ambulance to the Mercyhealth Crystal Lake Hospital helipad and then flown in critical condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Vucha said in the release.

The child remains in the Intensive Care Unit of a Chicago hospital where he is in stable but critical condition, Covelli said.

Based on the investigation, “it appears this was a tragic accident,” Covelli said.

“We want to remind the community that lawnmowers are powerful machines,” Covelli said in the email. “They can be extremely dangerous and, in some cases, even deadly. Children should never ride on them, whether operating or as a passenger with an adult. This heartbreaking incident underscores the importance of keeping children away from mowers at all times.”