Online CPR Certification Blog

With the lawn mowing season nearing in most parts of the nation, safety experts have warned parents that they take care of kids and prevent them from lawn mower accidents. For the past few weeks, there have been a number of cases reported for children who have been injured seriously in mowing accidents.

Case studies of lawn mowing incidents

The first case is that of a girl in Florida aged two years who lost both her feet. As associated press reported, the father accidentally backed over the girl with the riding mower. The other case was of a Tennesse boy aged 4 years who sustained severe cuts on legs and arms after being ran over by a lawn mower as reported by the Tennessean. In Maryland, a 2 year old boy was critically injured after the overturning of a lawn mower which he and his grandfather had been riding as reported by Baltimore Sun.

These kinds of accidents are not uncommon. In 2011, a total of 3780 children aged 14 years and below were among the 83, 291 people in US treated in hospital emergencies for injuries resulting from lawn mowers, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission. The commission showed data indicating that if visits made to clinics and doctor offices were to be included, a rounded figure of over 17000 teens and children get treatment for similar injuries in a year, as reported by American Academy of Pediatrics.

Steven Lovejoy from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville said that such injuries can change the lives of children, but can be prevented totally. The surgeon was analyzing a report on lawn mower injuries released in 2012. Recently, Steven had treated a boy aged 6 years who unfortunately lost his foot after falling off from a mower being driven by a girl aged 10 years. He says that often, most kids get hurt when riding on adult’s lap and while people remember doing the same thing during their childhood, they still think that it is alright. In most cases, the kids get hurt as they are running to adults operating lawn mowers and cannot hear or see them coming. On this note, Steven advises that parents must always know the whereabouts of their kids.

Additional safety tips when lawn mowing

Several medical groups led by American Academy of Pediatrics released some useful safety tips when lawn mowing. First, parents are allowed not to allow their kids ride or drive a lawn mower as this can be dangerous. When children reach an age where they can use the mowers, it is essential that they are taught safety steps first like wearing sturdy shoes and goggles. Also, a child must never be allowed to ride on a mower as a passenger as this can be disastrous. Lastly, while mowing, parents must keep their children away from the lawn mower and always have an idea where they could be.