Lawn Care Safety: By the Numbers

Many homeowners take pride in their perfectly manicured lawns. Unfortunately, those beautiful lawns sometimes come at a huge cost. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, lawn mowers prompt over 80,000 emergency room visits every year. The scope of these injuries can prove surprisingly broad, with homeowners harmed not only by lawn mowers, but also by trimmers and other implements. With the help of statistics, we highlight the greatest threats below:

Riding Lawn Mowers

All lawn care tools can prove dangerous, but riding mowers are especially likely to cause harm. Small children may be the most at risk; the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that at least 800 children are run over by riding lawn mowers or small tractors every year. Sadly, over 600 of these injuries end in amputation. Many others die; Consumer Product Safety Commission statistics reveal that one in five lawn mower deaths involve children. Product defects are to blame more often than users realize; mowers are regularly recalled due to issues with reverse-mow settings or coolant reservoir tanks.

Lawn Trimmers

While lawn trimmers might not seem as dangerous as riding mowers, they hold many hidden perils. Data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System points to 81,907 lawn trimmer-related injuries between 2000 and 2009. Eye injuries accounted for over 42 percent of these incidents. Beyond eye injuries, victims were most likely to suffer contusions, lacerations, or sprains. Many of these injuries involved foreign objects and could potentially have been avoided through the use of safety equipment. Occasionally, poor manufacturing can come into play, with defective products potentially harming not only the user, but also others nearby.

Were you harmed in a lawn care accident prompted by a defective product? Damages may prove within reach. Contact Regan Zambri Long PLLC at your earliest convenience to learn more about our approach to personal injury law.