Girl's injuries a reminder of the dangers of mowing

At age eight, Kenleigh Merritt has undergone that same number of surgeries to repair leg injuries she suffered in a lawn mower accident two years ago. In a frightening instant, Kenleigh slipped and fell underneath a riding mower as the grass at her suburban home was being cut. "It scared me so much," she said later. "My life was frozen fear."

Unfortunately, such accidents occur all too frequently: 77,000 people are rushed to the emergency room each year from accidents involving lawn mowers. At least 10 percent of those are children 18 and under, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Lawn mower injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers and toes, broken and dislocated bones, burns, and eye and other injuries. Some injuries are very serious. Both users of mowers and those who are nearby can be hurt.

Peter Sawchuck, the mower expert here at Consumer Reports, says the speed at the tip of a mower blade can exceed 200 miles per hour. And as he demonstrates in the video, the mower can discharge pieces as far as 100 feet away—a good reason to keep kids and pets at a distance.

The AAP offers parents these safe mowing tips:

• Use a mower with a safety feature that stops the mower from moving forward when the handle is released.
• Children younger than 16 years should not be allowed to use ride-on mowers. Children younger than 12 years should not use walk-behind mowers.
• Make sure that sturdy shoes (not sandals or sneakers) are worn while mowing.
• Prevent injuries from flying objects, such as stones or toys, by picking them up from the lawn before mowing begins.
• Do not allow children to ride as passengers on riding mowers.

Comments

[cj]

People never worry about safety because they have the,it won't happen to me mentality. My neighbor used to let his kids sit with him on the rider mower. Last year one of his kids fell off and the foot was severed off. The surgeons could not re-attach. Most of these accidents wouldn't happen if we used a bit of common sense.

Be safe not sorry

[Randy Kelly]

would like to thank you for the article, I've been looking for some summer safety tips for our Work safe Home safe programme and would like to include the information in our next newsletter. I hope the girl is okay and that she has a speedy recovery.