Lawnmower Accidents Injure Thousands Each Year
The common household chore of mowing the lawn and doing yard work results in an estimated 75,000 serious injuries each year, including lost limbs, painful cuts, burns and deaths. Push (also called walk-behind) lawnmowers, riding mowers, and large garden tractors are powerful pieces of equipment that can be deadly. Defective design and manufacturing of the machines have been identified as factors in thousands of lawn equipment accidents. People injured in lawnmower accidents may be entitled to receive financial compensation from the lawnmower manufacturer or other responsible parties for past, present, and future medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Defective Lawnmower Design Often to Blame
Lawnmowers, garden tractors, and other yard equipment can be extremely powerful and dangerous; proper care is essential when operating and maintaining these machines. Hands, arms, legs and feet can be quickly cut or severed by the spinning blades of the mower, and burns are common from touching hot engine parts in attempts to remove debris. Accidents can happen when users are hurried or when they are unfamiliar with the equipment. But even when used properly, some lawnmowers and garden equipment can be extremely dangerous because of defective parts or the dangerous designs of the machines. Lawnmower blades that break or fall off during use, engines that overheat and burst into flames, riding lawnmowers that tip over easily, pinning or crushing victims, and safety mechanisms that fail are common defects.
Types of Lawnmower Injuries
- Burns
- Cuts and abrasions
- Lost limbs
- Hands, fingers, arms, legs and feet severed from the body
- Being struck with rocks and debris propelled from the mower at high speeds
- Eye injuries and impaired eyesight from being struck with debris
- Falls from lawnmowers during rollovers resulting in victims being run over or pinned beneath the machine
Required Safety Features
All new, walk-behind rotary lawnmowers must meet federal safety standards. Some of the required regulations include:
- All new mowers must have a blade brake control, which stops the blade when the operator releases a handle-mounted control bar. This feature prevents mower blades from turning when the operator is not in control of the mower.
- The area at the rear of the mower must contain a shield to prevent an operator’s feet from coming into contact with the spinning blades.
- A warning label must be placed near the discharge chute of the mower to warn users to keep their hands and feet away from the chute. The mower must also have a certification label with the inscription, “Meets CPSC blade safety requirements.”
Legal Help for Lawnmower Accident Victims
If you or someone you know was injured in a lawnmower accident, you may have valuable legal rights. You may be eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. The aggressive, dedicated attorneys at Mark & Associates, P.C. will evaluate your lawnmower accident case at no charge. To contact our office for a complimentary, no-obligation review of your potential case, please submit the case inquiry form on this page or call 1-866-50-RIGHTS (1-866-507-4448).
