William Z. Morris, M.D., knows pediatric trauma and knows what it’s like to be a parent. As a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, his experience in the operating room has led him to raise awareness about some of the risks associated with lawn mowers and ATVs.
“I wouldn’t let my young kids use or be around a lawn mower,” says Morris. “It’s estimated that there are over 9,000 pediatric lawn mower injuries a year. One large study showed that about half of these injuries occur in kids 5 yrs of age or under. Lawn mowers can cause pretty terrible injuries that can result in amputations, most frequently in the lower extremities. In fact, around a quarter of all traumatic amputations in children are attributed to lawnmowers.
The second thing I wouldn’t let my young kids do is ride an ATV or all terrain vehicle. Injuries from ATV accidents are serious with one study showing almost 90% of kids have to get admitted to the hospital, half have some broken bone, and a quarter end up in the intensive care unit. Our general surgeon colleagues at Children’s Medical Center also recently showed that ATV injuries at our trauma center went up 77% during the COVID era, so we have unfortunately been seeing more of these injuries over the past few years.”
At any age, safety is key when using ATVs and lawn mowers. Please be careful as we head into warmer weather and outdoor activities.