Child Amputations from Lawnmowers On the Rise

Another child has fallen prey to a lawnmower accident. We often hear about these terrible situations, but we tend to think that this could never happen to our child.  But the truth is it happens quite frequently, especially during the summer months.  According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an estimated 16,000 children are severely injured every year in lawnmower accidents, and sadly, we are expected to hit that total again this year. 

The little boy involved in this life-threatening injury was playing in his own yard in Lakeville, Michigan.  His mother and brother were nearby.  The mother was preoccupied with her other child, whom she had seated on her lap while she rode on her riding lawnmower.  Because she was preoccupied, she did not see that her other child, a boy toddler, was in harm's way.  The lawn mower ran over that child leaving his body mutilated.  Fortunately, he survived, he was rushed to a nearby hospital.  Since this accident, he has had to undergo multiple surgeries to restore his severely damaged limbs. 

But this is not even the most common type of lawnmower accident for young children.  Instead, children are most commonly injured by sticking their hands in all the places they should not.  More specifically, underneath the mower where the blades are.  The next most common accident occurs when children are burned by the muffler on the lawnmower.  This is a safety hazard we too often overlook because it is so easy to forget about.  But both of these common accidents can have serious consequences as far as children's health is concerned. 

We ask you to keep your an extra careful eye on your children when you are lawnmowing and even when your neighbors are lawnmowing.  Children are not aware of just how dangerous these machines can be.  But if for some reason your child has been injured and you believe that another adult had acted negligently in the process, we ask that you give our law offices a call.  With 15 years of experience as Kansas City child injury and accident attorneys we are ready to protect your child, and we will fight for your case.