Mowers Take Toll On Midwest Kids

 

Children younger than 14 should not use power mowers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Nine-year-old Jesse Hudalla of Spring Valley, Wis. was one of three young children admitted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul trauma unit during a single July week due to lawn mower accidents.

Hudalla’s mother and stepfather said a mower blade chipped the boy’s ankle bone and broke another bone in his foot. He was scheduled for surgery and rehabilitation after that.

Hudalla said he had learned to use the ride-on lawn mower this year and was just trying to help out.

“My brother got off and I was running toward the lawn mower,” Jesse Hudalla said. “He turned the mower deck off and then I slipped on the wet grass and my foot went under it.”

Power mowers are among the most dangerous household tools. Each year, more than 9,000 children need emergency care because of lawn mower accidents.

Dr. David Dries, a trauma surgeon at Regions Hospital, said, “As our yard implements become larger and more powerful, just because a child knows how to turn it on and operate it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re strong enough.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children younger than 12 not use any type of mower. They also said children younger than 14 should not use a riding or power mower and children younger than six should stay indoors when an area is being mowed.

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