Adam Mattson, 4, of New Vineyard is shown on the first day of pre-kindergarten this year. He has undergone six surgeries and has three more scheduled at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts. Adam’s right leg was severed and the left one was severely injured in a front-end loader accident on Oct. 23 at a family gravel pit in New Vineyard. (Mikala Bressette photo) 

FARMINGTON — A New Vineyard boy who had his right leg severed in a front-end-loader accident on Oct. 23 and his left one severely injured has had six surgeries so far and three more are scheduled, his mother Kim Mattson said.

Mattson is staying with her son, Adam Mattson, 4, at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts and won’t be coming back to Maine until he does. Mattson, who is also Adam’s grandmother, legally adopted him.

“Adam has lived with me all but a couple of months of his life,” Mattson said. “He is my life.”

Adam was with Mattson’s boyfriend of 14 years, Sam Kennedy, who Adam calls papa, at a family gravel pit off Anson Valley Road in New Vineyard when Kennedy’s attention was turned briefly away and Adam got under the bucket of a front-end loader. The bucket, which was lowered but not on the ground, lost hydraulic pressure and came down on the child’s legs. Kennedy rushed Adam to a Farmington hospital from where he was flown to Boston.

“Sam did save his life,” Mattson said.

On Wednesday, Adam was still in the intensive care unit but was expected to be moved to a main floor and will return to the ICU for more skin grafts, if they are able to do so next week, she said.

“The fact is that even though we are Maine residents the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital won’t take him there for rehabilitation unless he is a patient at (Maine Medical Center in Portland),” Mattson said.

They found out last week that Adam will be going to rehabilitation in Massachusetts.

“So it will be several months before we can go home,” she said.

Back in Maine, fundraisers are being planned and volunteers are pitching in to help Adam. He will need a lot of a equipment and a handicapped-accessible home to return to.

Mattson said she appreciates everyone and all they are doing to help out. He has enjoyed the packages people have sent to the hospital.

“Adam is awake and trying to stay busy,” she said. “He is not an indoor kid so he gets frustrated but is doing very well considering.”

Adam is into Matchbox vehicles and monster trucks among other toys. He has a lot of trucks and cars at home but Mattson is buying some new Matchbox vehicles to prevent exposure to germs, because he took a lot of them outdoors to play.

He is also into demolition derbies.

“We have taken him to all of the derbies and the monster truck shows wherever they are,” she said.

She said he also loves to watch “Survivor” (with her), “American Ninja Warrior” and “Gold Rush.”

dperry@sunmediagroup.net