The Barnes Firm

A Dangerous Chore for Children

• September 20, 2016
• Sandy

OAKLAND, Calif. – Despite new technology, features and safety guidelines, U.S. children continue to suffer serious injuries from both riding lawn mowers and push-mowers, a new pediatric study found.

In total, nearly 200 children under the age of 18 were injured in a lawn mower accident. In most cases, the child required an amputation, the research found.

A Bay Area attorney at The Barnes Firm says lawn mowers, like cars, are sometimes recalled due to dangerous or faulty parts.

“Many people don’t realize how dangerous lawn mowers are, especially for children in the Bay Area,” defective product attorney Landon Vivian said. “Lawn mowers have hundreds of working parts and they often use flammable fuels that can be very dangerous if not handled properly.”

Researchers analyzed the lawn mower-related injuries treated at Pennsylvania trauma centers between 2002 and 2013. On average, 16 children were seriously injured every year in Pennsylvania alone.

The majority of those injured were boys, accounting for more than 80-percent of the injuries.

Due to a lawn mower’s tremendous amount of kinetic energy, researchers said the machines are more powerful than a handgun. Some of the most common injuries were often the result of explosions or blasts, in addition to lacerations.

“Most injuries can be prevented if the manufacturer creates safe product and if the operators follow safety guidelines,” Vivian said. “We urge all parents to review these guidelines before sending their children to cut the lawn.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, manufacturers and doctors recommend that no child under the age of 16 operate a riding lawn mower and no child under the age of 12 operate a push lawn mower.

However, researchers found most children who were injured were under the age of 8.

A Bay Area attorney at The Barnes Firm also cautions parents to keep all children under the age of 6 indoors while a lawn mower is in operation. No child should ever ride as a passenger on a riding mower, experts said.

According to the study researchers, following that advice would have prevented nearly 70 percent of the state’s lawn mower accidents.

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