Each year lawnmower accidents injure several hundred thousand people, some of them seriously. Lawnmowers can be especially dangerous for children, which is why it’s recommended keep children away when you mow the lawn. The most common threat is projectiles launched by the mower blades, which slice through flesh like a bullet. This is followed by cut risks from the blade itself and crush injuries from children being trapped underneath. Here are some of the stories behind the statistics:

Girl crushed by lawn mower

When we think of lawn mower accidents we tend to think of injuries from blades or projectiles. Yet riding lawn mowers can also pose a similar type of crush risk presented by cars. A family in Pine Level, Alabama, learned this lesson the hard way when their 3-year-old girl died after her father accidentally backed over her on the lawn mower on a Sunday afternoon. (USA Today, 9-27-2017, p. 4A)