Lawn mowers have been an important part of home maintenance for forever. While they used to have only the power of the person pushing them, they are now much more powerful and equipped with much sharper blades. As a result, there are more than 75,000 injuries due to lawn mowers of all shapes and sizes on an annual basis. Of those 75,000 injuries, roughly 10,000 children are hurt.
In addition to trimming lawns and spitting out grass clippings, lawn mowers are capable of picking up rocks and other small items and flinging them out of the sides of the machine. These items can travel at speeds between 150 and 200 miles an hour. At this speed, an innocuous pebble can easily cut through a person’s skin. If the pebble hits an eye, the eye can easily be put out.
In an average year, 75 people will die from encounters with lawn mowers. Many of the accidents that occur involve children. These accidents can lead to disfigurement when children lose toes, fingers, a hand, or even an entire limb to a lawn mower.
In order to prevent accidents and injuries, it is recommended that children under 12 not be allowed to push a lawn mower and those under 16 should not be allowed to operate a riding lawn mower. In addition, ear and eye protection should be worn to eliminate or reduce the possibility of damage to these senses.
Contact an Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or your child has been injured in an encounter with a lawn mower, contact the Indianapolis personal injury lawyers of Hankey Marks & Crider at (317) 634-8565.