Parents warned to keep children away from lawnmowers which cause ‘devastating and potentially life-threatening injuries’

The warning came from Catherine de Blacam, a plastic surgeon in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin who said: “Children should be nowhere near ride-on lawnmower machinery or activity, even if they are supervised by an adult. Adults should never, ever allow a child to be a passenger or to sit on their knee on a ride-on lawnmower

“The accidents that we see every year happen when a child is riding on with a parent and falls off or when they are following the lawnmower and slip under it. The child then gets caught in the moving blades and, as you can imagine, these injuries are devastating and potentially life-threatening.”

At least two children present to children’s hospitals each spring and summer season following ride-on lawnmower accidents. She said trauma teams report life-threatening injuries, including amputations of upper and lower limbs with toddlers at particular risk.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 30th April 2024

The advice from the hospital is that the only safe way to mow the lawn when young children are present is to have another adult watch them indoors and far from the very real danger.

Parents are reminded that life-changing injury from a lawnmower blade only takes a second.

Children should not operate lawnmowers and should never be outside when a lawnmower is in use and parents should teach children to avoid running after or alongside the machines.

Children who have been given a ride on a mower in the past, may run into the area unexpectedly .Also, the advice is to remove stones, toys and sticks from the area before mowing.

If operating a riding mower in reverse, parents are told to always look for children behind the mower and riding mowers should be driven up and down slopes to avoid the mower tipping over. They also warned to never leave a running lawnmower unattended.