Lawn mowers present hazards for kids

I was going to go cut the grass, but it started raining, so I decided to share some tips about lawn mower safety instead.

For many of us, lawn care is an unavoidable task — whether your goal is making your yard look like a golf course or just keeping the homeowners association from sending you nasty letters.

Unfortunately, lawn mowers present several hazards for kids as well.

Last summer, I was working in the ER. It had been a slow day when we got an alert that a 3-year-old girl was on the way. When she arrived, she was awake and breathing on her own and didn't seem to be in a lot of pain. But one foot was gone, and the other leg was nearly severed at the upper thigh.

It was the first time I'd seen the inside of both halves of a femur, and her leg was hanging on by just a few threads of flesh. There was a mess of muscle, blood, grass and bone, and it wasn't clear what went where.

Her parents arrived a few minutes later, but we didn't have a chance to talk to them immediately. We got the girl stabilized and off to the operating room, then walked into a room where a chaplain was talking to her parents.

The father had been cutting the grass on a riding lawn mower. His daughter had been inside watching TV, but apparently she had come out to ask him something. He had no idea she was there until he put the mower in reverse and backed right over her.

The girl eventually recovered and will probably learn to walk nicely with prosthetics. But this was a life-altering injury that could have been prevented.

Do I tell you that story just to scare you?

Absolutely.

Because that girl is not alone. Every year, about 17,000 children in the United States are injured by lawn mowers. Fortunately, those injuries are preventable.

Most of us recognize the danger of amputation from the mower's blades, but rocks and sticks can be sent flying at up to 100 mph, presenting other real dangers.

Here are some tips to make sure your kids stay safe while you keep your lawn looking great:

• Never let young children operate a lawn mower or ride on a riding mower with you, even if the blade isn't running. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children younger than 12 not use push mowers and children younger than 16 not operate riding mowers.)

• Make sure kids are inside and supervised while you are mowing. You never know when they might come looking for you.

• Remove any rocks, sticks, toys or other objects from the area before mowing.

• Never leave a mower running unattended.

• Don't mow while drinking. For that matter, don't do anything dangerous while under the influence.

• Consider a reel-type mower if your yard is small enough. They're safer, don't stir up as many allergens and don't present the additional hazard of gasoline storage. The exercise won't hurt you.

• Ensure that teenagers tasked with mowing the grass wear proper eye and ear protection as well as sturdy closed-toed shoes. Make sure they are familiar with how to navigate any tricky terrain like hills or ditches.

I'm sure your neighbors are glad you keep your yard looking so good. Just be careful to keep everyone safe.

• Hayes is a resident physician in pediatrics in Greenville, S.C. His parenting and pediatrics blog can be found at www.chadhayesmd.com.