Lawnmowers are involved in thousands of accidents globally every year; in the USA alone over 9,000 children are treated at hospital for injuries sustained in lawnmower accidents, with many facing amputations, skin grafts and other complex surgeries.
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Manufacturers are trying to improve lawnmower safety by including warnings on key fobs to check your surroundings for children before starting, and it is common sense for any driver to check behind them when turning or reversing, yet still accidents are occurring despite this. Sometimes, safety devices built in to lawnmowers are disconnected in favour of cutting time on the job, but unfortunately this approach more often leads to a preventable accident than to saving time.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a two-year-old girl had her right leg amputated after falling underneath a riding lawnmower. She had fallen off the toy she was playing on, and slipped into a ditch where the lawnmower was in use, leaving her with injuries so severe that doctors predict she will need another six or seven major surgeries. Although we don’t know the reasons why the person who decided to mow the lawn did not order everyone inside, it may be down to cutting time and multi-tasking; trying to get the job done there and then rather than waiting until no children were present.
In Gateshead, a four-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after being run over by a lawnmower being driven by a council worker. Luckily, the boy was not badly hurt, although the accident looked bad enough for the air ambulance to be called as it was suspected that the boy had suffered serious injuries. The boy’s mother was watching her son playing, and saw the lawnmower reversing towards the children. She ran over, trying to grab the attention of the operator, but he did not see her until it was too late. She claims he did not ask the children to leave the area as he was cutting the grass, and seemed oblivious to the dangers of mowing that close to children playing. Gateshead Council and the police are investigating, but in this case it certainly seems that if the operator of the riding lawn mower had taken proper steps to clear the area, or stay away from where the children were playing, this would not have happened.
In Wichita, Kansas, two men died just days apart, both killed by riding lawnmowers toppling onto them and trapping them underneath. One was repairing the machine when it fell and crushed him, and the other was mowing his grass when he slipped into a creek. Often when lawnmowers slide down ditches and into creeks they have been driven too close to the edge, or at the wrong angle, leading to a tumble. Operating a riding lawnmower on a smooth, flat lawn is a very different job to riding around obstacles and near hazards, so extra care must be taken not to get too close to the edge, or to ride at the wrong angle on a slope.
Most lawnmower accidents are preventable, and although it is tempting to rush the job before it starts raining again, it is much safer to take the time to move children indoors and to ensure other adults keep an eye on them and stay a safe distance from the mower while it is in operation. Don’t be tempted to take risks to finish early, instead, leave the tricky bits for another day when you have more time to do things properly. It is also sensible to check the lawn for toys and other debris that may fly out from under the mower causing injuries. Remember, cut the grass and not the corners.