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Each summer, University of Michigan (U-M) pediatricians and the U-M nursing staff at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital see the devastating effects lawn mower injuries can have on children, ages two to 12, and their parents — reconstructive surgery, long hospital stays and permanent disfigurement and disability.
In most cases, says Becky D'Agostino, RN, a charge nurse in the Mott recovery rooms, parents didn't realize that having a child sit on a riding mower with them or even having a child in the yard while they're cutting the lawn was dangerous. She and other UMHS nurses and pediatricians at Mott hope they can inform other parents of the dangers before more accidents occur.
"It's usually not until it's too late and their child is seriously hurt that a parent says they'd wish they'd known about the dangers sooner," D'Agostino says. "Lawn mowers really have the potential to do great harm to the body, but so many people just don't understand that."
Following are some lawnmower safety tips:
Keep the Kids Indoors While You Mow
Although it's usually a struggle to keep kids inside during the warm summer months, it's the first and most important step to keeping them safe while the lawn mower is on.
Several serious injuries can occur if children are in the yard while the mower is running. There's the risk that a parent might accidentally run over a child's hand or foot if he or she is playing too close to the mower, or if the lawn is wet and the child slips under the mower. Plus, there's always the chance that an object like a twig or a stone will fly out of the mower and strike the child.
"A child is just not safe in the yard when a mower is on," warns Frances Farley, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the U-M Medical School, who has operated on many children injured by lawn mowers. "When the mower's running, a parent can't hear the child and, in some cases with riding mowers, they can't see the if the child is behind them."
More than half of all of the mower injuries that Farley cares for each summer involve a child who has been backed over by a riding mower. In most riding mowers, the blade is still engaged in reverse, causing parents, relatives or neighbors to do serious harm to an unseen child standing or sitting behind the mower.
Riding Mowers Aren't Built for Two
It may seem like fun for kids to co-pilot the riding mower with mom and dad, but in most cases, it's an accident waiting to happen.
"Riding mowers are not designed for two people," says Farley. "They're unstable, especially on inclines, and if a child's on it with an adult, there's always the risk for falling off and sliding under the mower. Parents always think their child is safe in their lap, but that's never the case."
And although most mowers have a safety feature which shuts off the engine when the rider gets off or falls off, that same feature will not be activated if just the child falls off.
In any circumstance, regardless of age, no riders other than the operator should be on a riding mower. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents not to allow children under the age of 16 even to operate riding mowers, and suggests that no child under the age of 12 use a push mower.
Keep Mom and Dad Safe, Too
Adults operating lawn mowers are just as much at risk for injuries as their children.
Before adults even turn on the mower, they should make sure they have on proper hearing and eye protection, and that they're wearing sturdy shoes, not sandals or sneakers. In addition, don't forget to go around the yard and pick up loose objects in the lawn to prevent objects from projecting out of the mower. Also, remember to turn the mower off before crossing over gravel paths or roads, to avoid flying stones.
With more than 22 percent of lawn mower injuries involving the hand, fingers or wrist, Farley says to make sure the engine is off and the mower blade has completely stopped rotating before attempting to remove debris from the mower or make adjustments to it.
Farley also encourages all adults to read their user's manual before operating the mower. Knowing how the machine operates will help avoid injury to both children and adults. "The main thing to remember is all lawn mower injuries are completely preventable," she says. "These aren't just freak accidents. They're extremely serious and in most cases they change a child's or an adult's life forever."
