U-M hospitals issue lawnmower safety reminder after 3-year-old's leg nearly severed in accident
Update: The girl's leg has been amputated, doctors told the Detroit News.
A 3-year-old Livingston County girl's leg was nearly severed Wednesday after she ran behind her grandfather as he backed up on his riding mower.
She is among five children who have been treated so far this year for serious injuries caused by lawnmowers at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, prompting a warning from hospital officials that the number of injured children is higher than usual.
Jackson Citizen-Patriot
In the Livingston County incident, the girl was knocked over by a tire, then the blade passed over her and severely injured her leg, the Livingston Daily reported.
That incident reflects other typical local cases, which involve a child approaching a mower undetected by the driver and then being run over after a riding mower backs up, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the University of Michigan Health System.
Other lawn mower-related injuries that typically affect children include dislocated bones, deep cuts, missing fingers and toes, limb amputations, eye injuries and burns.
Of 253,000 people treated for lawn mower-related injuries last year in the U.S., and almost 17,000 were children under age 19, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.


To avoid these kinds of accidents, the hospital recommends:
- Children need to be a minimum of 12 years old before they operate any lawn mower, and at least 16 years old for a ride-on mower.
- Young children should remain inside when a lawn mower is being used
- Debris, stones and toys on the lawn should be picked up before mowing to prevent injuries from flying objects.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
mkm17
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 12:41 p.m.
I thought riding lawn mowers had a safety feature that disengaged the blades when going in reverse. Over my husband's and his siblings' objections, my father-in-law disabled that feature on his riding lawn mower. We know two other people who have done that as well. I am very sorry for the girl and her family.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 11:12 p.m.
Yeah, maybe next time he shouldn't where a helmet (see photo); it has a tendency of reducing one's peripheral vision.
glacialerratic
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 10:14 p.m.
Some folks near us have allow an 8 year-old to use a self-propelled walk-behind, and not even with an adult close at hand. He'd be pulled along when he tried to turn it.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 11:12 p.m.
Never, ever, mow the lawn while kids are playing in the are. NEVER!
Les Gov
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
I hope people in my area are reading this! I am always called the bad guy when I point out that kids should not ride along on the mower. Kids need to be in the house when the lawn is being cut
BlueNever!
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
Same guidelines apply to pets. Dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. can be seriously injured from flying objects thrown from the mower's blades. Dogs that chase the mower to play can accidentally slip under the mower deck when backing, turning or sliding on wet grass. Common sense says to keep pets and children inside when mowing. Another danger is mowing near in-ground pools while someone is sunning on the deck or a chaise. Stones and debris can by launched from under the deck toward unsuspecting eyes near ground level.
justwondering
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
I see far too many parents using walk behind mowers unsafely with children. What I typically see is the parent with a small child in a backpack on their back. This will damage the child's hearing. This also puts the child at risk for flying debris from the mower. I was absolutely flabbergasted the first time I ever saw this. I've seen it dozens of times, though, so it must be relatively commonplace. Please don't do this. Have the child inside, as the guidelines above point out.
lisam
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:06 p.m.
Praying for her recovery and for the sanity of her grandfather as I know this has taken an emotional toll on him. Looking at the mower, I often wonder why riding lawnmowers cannot be equipped with rearview mirrors.
Peregrine
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 3:05 a.m.
A rear-view mirror is going to give you too narrow a field of view to be helpful. And it could lull the driver into complacency. The kids and pets should be inside (to prevent this type of accident and to prevent them being hit by flying debris) and the driver should turn around.
lisam
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 11:43 p.m.
Oh I agree, that iis the easy thing to do, but an extra safety precaution by the manufacturer surely wouldn't hurt. My father had a coworker who did the same thing in this story....except his grandchild's feet were both severed, not to be repaired.
Brad
Thu, Jun 30, 2011 : 4:22 p.m.
Because it is so incredibly easy just to turn around and look before backing up? It isn't like they have poor visibility.