4 children in 6 weeks hurt in lawnmower accidents

Lock up your little ones when mowing the lawn, doctors are warning after it emerged that four children were badly injured by lawnmowers in the last six weeks.

“Lock up your children. That should be the first thing anyone does before starting the lawnmower or have a second adult supervise them,” said Dr Patricia Eadie, president of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons (IAPS).

“In the last six weeks my colleagues and I have seen two children with horrific foot injuries where their feet went under a powered lawnmower in their homes.”

Three of the four children were injured from being near ‘ride-on’ mowers.

Dr Eadie said a parent would never allow children to drive a car but, in the case of mowers, they don’t exercise the same vigilance. “This just makes no sense to us,” she said.

She said adults should also take the advice as IAPS members have had to treat three adults with severe hand injuries over the same period.

Dr Eadie said anyone unfortunate enough to lose fingers should place them in a plastic bag, place the bag in a container of ice and get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible.