Prevention is Key to Avoiding Lawn Mower Injuries A Riley
Hospital for Children at IU Health Release INDIANAPOLIS –It
starts off innocently. A child wanders outside while the yard is
being mowed. The child approaches the unaware person mowing the
yard. Suddenly, the mower turns or backs up and the child is
abruptly caught underneath the mower. This is the sad reality
every year and Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University
Health is stressing caution as Hoosiers tend to their yards in
the months ahead. “The injuries we see at Riley are typically
very devastating – amputations and mangled limbs – with lifelong
consequences,” said Dr. Thomas Rouse of the Riley Pediatric
Trauma Center at IU Health. “We’ve already seen children injured
this spring and we cannot stress the importance of lawn mower
safety enough.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), approximately 9,400 children under age 18 receive
emergency care each year for lawn mower-related injuries.
Although older kids and adolescen