New Study on Lawnmowing Dangers
An article in Annals of Emergency Medicine, reports that over a nine-year period, an annual average of 74,000 people were injured by lawnmowers. The total persons injured exceeded 80,000 in 2004.
The loss of one or more toes or fingers was fairly common, accounting for almost a third of lawnmower-related hospitalizations. For youngsters under 15, lawnmower accidents are the number cause of foot amputation. Based on age, however, most injuries occurred among older users, who tended to fall while pushing the mowers on slippery surfaces. But the most frequent injury involved projectiles sent hurtling from under the machines into nearby bodies
The study recommends that no one under 16 be allowed to operate a lawnmower and that children be kept out of the area when mowing is undertaken.