Using a lawn mower can be as routine as barbequing, swimming, or bike riding during the summer months, but often people find themselves in alarming situations with their mower.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 200,000 people are injured in lawn mower accidents each year—16,000 of those injured are children. Charles Jennissen, MD, division director for pediatric emergency medicine at University of Iowa Children's Hospital, talks about:
Is there a type of lawn mower that is more dangerous than others for children to be around when an adult is mowing?
Any lawn mower can be dangerous if it is not operated safely, but most injuries we see in the emergency room are caused by power lawn mowers with rotary blades. The energy transferred to a body part by a typical lawn mower blade is equivalent to three times the energy of a .357 magnum pistol; so the resulting injuries are often quick and devastating. The good news is that the vast majority of lawn mower injuries can be prevented if proper precautions are taken.
Can a child be injured by a lawn mower even though they are no where near the mower when it is running?
Yes, many serious injuries—including blindness—are a result of debris being propelled from the mower, almost like a missile. Objects can be ejected at more than 100 miles per hour and thrown 50 feet or more from a power lawn tractor. It is very important to pick up loose objects, like sticks, toys, or stones from the lawn before mowing. Operators should wear eye protection. Use of a collection bag for grass clippings or a plate that covers the opening where cut grass is released can help decrease the likelihood of injuries from flying objects. Most importantly, young children should be indoors with direct adult supervision while mowing is being performed.
Are children safe riding along with an adult on a riding tractor mower?
Allowing a child to ride on a lawn tractor is never a good idea and can be a recipe for disaster while mowing. Adults often have a false sense of security having a child ride on their lap while they cut the lawn. It only takes one little slip, or an odd thing to happen, and oops—a child's hands, feet, or entire body can be run over by the mower—faster than it is humanly possible to respond.
How old should a child be to operate a lawn mower—push mower or riding tractor mower?
With proper training and supervision, children who are 12 years of age or older can usually safely operate a push mower. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery both recommend that children not operate a riding lawn mower until they are 16 years of age. However, many children may be able to begin using a riding mower after they are 14 years of age with appropriate supervision and safety rule adherence.
What kind of lawn mower injuries do you typically see in children in the emergency treatment center?
The injuries we see are quite varied. They include people being burned from direct contact with hot surfaces on the mower. These burns can often be prevented by keeping children away from the mower—even as the mower cools down after use—and by operators wearing clothes that protect their skin from such contact.
Injuries to extremities are very common, especially to the feet as a result of slipping under the mower deck. Use of nonskid, sturdy footwear—not sandals or sneakers—can provide some protection during such mishaps. Injuries of the hands and fingers occur most often becaue operators attempt to remove debris or some other such activity around the deck prior to turning the engine off and making certain the mower blades have completely stopped.
One of the more dramatic injuries I've seen is a child whose skull was shattered and pieces of bone imbedded in the brain from a small piece of pipe blown from a lawn mower tractor.
Do lawn mower injuries in children usually take a team of specialists to repair the injuries?
As you can imagine, these injuries often require teams of highly skilled specialists and sub-specialists to treat and manage them. The University of Iowa Emergency Treatment Center is a Level I certified trauma center for both adults and pediatric trauma —the only such center in Eastern Iowa. We're pleased to have the skilled health care providers required to take care of these complicated patients.
Are the injuries from lawn mowing accidents considered life changing for some children?
Oh absolutely. These injuries frequently result in partial or complete limb amputations and lifelong debilitation, not to mention the lifelong parental guilt that often accompanies them.
What is the best advice you can give a parent regarding their children playing near or riding on a lawn mower?
Children are attracted to mowers and mower activity. Parents should never assume children will remain where they last saw them. Some of the worst injuries I've seen have occurred when the lawn mower operator backed up or turned, never expecting that when they did so, their child would be right there.
It is so important that younger children have another responsible adult watching them while mowing occurs, and that older children be taught to keep a safe distance from mowing activity. This can be reinforced by the operator always stopping the machine and motor and addressing even the most minor of infractions of others being in the area where mowing is being performed.
And most importantly, never have children ride along during any mowing activity. |
