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>> -- by Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.
[ Music ]
>> Mowing the lawn of course goes hand in hand with the summer season. But sometimes
the task can be dangerous, especially for children. According to the Consumer Products
Safety Commission in 2010, nearly 17,000 children suffered some sort of lawnmower injury.
>> Yeah, that number is on the rise from previous years. In tonight's Building Blocks, we talk
to an emergency room physician who too often sees the preventable injuries.
>> 9 or 10 years old, who unfortunately, his arm slipped underneath a large mowing machine
in a field, and while it did not result in a full amputation, it was nearly so, a very
devastating injury for the child.
>> Whether it's a minor cut, a burn, or a more serious injury, children's lawnmower
injuries are preventable.
>> We see one, we see too many, 'cause they're all preventable.
>> Children should be indoors when an adult is mowing, and kept away from the lawnmower.
They can be burned if they touch a mower that is hot.
>> These things do happen. They happen way too frequently.
>> Objects can be thrown from a mower at 100 miles per hour, and can travel up to 50 feet.
Many serious injuries include blindness. They can happen from something as simple as a blade
of grass. Something that may seem harmless is allowing a child to ride along with a parent
on the mower.
>> We recommend a high degree of caution with any sharp instrument -- mowing instrument
like that that can really devastate you very rapidly, and before you can react.
>> If a child is seriously hurt, there are important steps to take.
>> In case where there is a piece of if you will the extremity that's there at the scene,
they could put that in a clean plastic bag in cool water, and that would help to preserve
that for potential re-implantation.
>> With proper training and supervision, children who are 12 years of age or older can usually
safely operate a push mower. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children
do not operate a riding mower until they are at least 16 years of age.