Lawn Mower Accident Lawyers in Huntsville, AL

Every year, hundreds of children suffer injuries as a result of riding lawn mower accidents that continue to mow while in reverse. This problem has been identified and criticized since the early 1960s. Despite the number of annual serious injuries suffered by children as a result of this design defect, the industry has been slow to address the problem.

There are simple design solutions that would prevent lawn mowers from reversing while the mowing blades are engaged. The design alternatives to prevent this hazardous situation are an anti-lock system wherein the blades stop turning if the lawn mower is put into reverse, the lawn mower cannot be put in reverse if the blades are engaged, or it simply shuts off if it is placed in reverse while the blades are engaged.

Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., is a Leader in Representing Children Injured by Defective Lawn Mowers

Morris, King & Hodge, P.C.’s attorneys have represented several children injured or killed as a result of defectively designed lawn mowers.

In 2007, Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., attorney David J. Hodge started and chaired the Lawnmower Litigation support group through the American Association of Justice to assist attorneys prosecuting these cases.

In addition to chairing this group, Mr. Hodge has spoken on this defect at the 2007 American Trial Lawyers Association Summer Convention in Chicago, the 2008 American Trial Lawyers Association Summer Convention in Philadelphia, and the 2014 American Association for Justice Winter Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Hodge has been interviewed on this subject for various American Association for Justice periodicals and by Lawyers USA.

Common Lawn Mower Injuries

Victims can suffer severe injuries requiring immediate medical attention, including:

According to a study published in the journal Public Health Reports, each year in the United States, an average of 6,394 people suffer serious injuries — including burns, cuts, and broken bones — in lawn-mower accidents. The study found that lacerations are most common (47% of injuries), followed by fractures (22%), and amputations (22%). Many injuries are disfiguring, especially for children as they continue to grow.

Medical care for lawn mower accident injuries can be extremely costly. Victims should not have to struggle to pay for the expenses associated with the accident if their injuries were the result of a faulty or defectively designed product. If you, your children, or a loved one have been injured in a lawn mower accident, talk to an attorney to help you determine the party or parties who might be responsible.

Lack of No-Mow-In-Reverse Systems Leads to Hundreds of Child Injuries Every Year

Each year, approximately 560 children are injured as a result of a back-over incident with a riding lawn mower. Riding lawn mowers provide an annual injury rate of 2.6 injuries per 1,000 ride-on mowers. “This injury rate is more than three times greater than that for walk-behind power mowers.” The overall injury rate for all lawn mowers and children was an average of 9,400 annual injuries or 11.1 injuries per 100,000 U.S. children per year. The injury rates are particularly troubling in light of the infrequent and seasonal use of this product.

Coupled with the high injury rate is the fact that lawn mower injuries are severe. The lawn mower blade has an extreme amount of power when it is engaged. The kinetic energy of an average blade at 3,000 RPM is 2,100 ft/lb. Placed in perspective, the wounding capacity of a rotary blade is the same as the power generated by dropping a 211 lb object from the height of 100 ft or three times the power of a .357 Magnum gun.

The no-mow-in-reverse system has been in use for over twenty years; however, some manufacturers still refuse to utilize the safety feature. In 1981, the Consumer Product Safety Commission identified the hazard pattern of a child being backed over by a riding lawn mower. In that same report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested a requirement that

“During the time that the mower is in reverse gear, the propulsion engine is running, the blades shall be stopped, and there shall be an intermittent sound signal of specified characteristics.”

As early as 1981, manufacturers began producing riding lawn mowers with no-mow-in-reverse features. Several manufacturers in the early 1980s advertised lawn mowers with this feature. Despite competitors utilizing and advertising this safety feature and recommendations by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, some manufacturers continue to fail to install such safety devices.

The Medical Community Agrees This Design Flaw is Dangerous for Children

The medical community has consistently called for the implementation of no-mow in-reverse design and has affirmatively stated that such devices will prevent severe back-over injuries. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called on manufacturers to “design ride-on lawn mowers that will not mow in reverse, with a manual override option if adequate levels of safety cannot be achieved voluntarily, a mandatory federal safety standard may be necessary.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention has reported no-mow-in-reverse feature “could help reduce the number of injuries from back-overs involving blade contact.” A ten-year study of lawn mower injuries in children concluded that if a no-mow-in-reverse feature were mandatory, “the majority of severe injuries in children would be prevented.”

A 2005 study entitled “Characteristics of Pediatric Traumatic Amputations Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments: United States” was the first to use a nationally representative sample to evaluate amputation injuries among children. The study analyzed data from children with amputation injuries treated in NEISS participating hospitals from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2002.

This study found that “lawnmowers were associated with more severe injuries than any other product in [the] study period. They caused the largest number of toe and foot amputations and had the highest proportion (51.9%) of injuries requiring hospitalization.” “Of all pediatric mower-related injuries, more than 7% require hospitalization, roughly two times the hospital admission rate for consumer product-related injuries overall.” “Ride-on mowers were the leading cause of amputation injuries among children admitted to one regional level I trauma center.”

Lawn Mower Safety Tips

Keep in mind the following safety tips when operating a lawn mower:

• Keep your lawn mower in good working order and with sharp blades.
• Keep your hands and feet away from the blades.
• Pick up potential flying objects in the yard before you begin mowing (for example, stones, sticks, toys)
• Wear goggles, gloves, hearing protection, and pants.
• Wear sturdy shoes or boots. Don’t mow barefoot or while wearing open-toed shoes or flip flops.
• When adding fuel, be careful of hot surfaces and ignition sources, like cigarettes, that could ignite the gas.
• Take care when pulling a mower backward or driving a riding mower in reverse.
• Don’t drink alcohol before or while using a mower.
• Don’t remove guards and safety devices from a mower.
• Don’t lift a mower by the bottom, as blades can sever fingers even when the mower is turned off.
• Avoid operating riding lawn mowers on wet hills.
• Never allow children under age 12 to use a push mower and those under 16 to operate a riding mower.

Even if you take all safety precautions, accidents can still happen. Product defects caused by manufacturers can lead to injuries. For example, in one case, a father sued the manufacturer of a lawnmower after he accidentally backed over his daughter, causing her severe injury. The father argued that the lawnmower was defective because it did not have proper safety precautions that would have prevented him from injuring his daughter.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to being injured in riding mower back-over accidents, with the cutting blades turning. Many of these accidents are preventable; when manufacturers fail to place a “No Mow In Reverse” (NMIR) safety feature on their mowers, they are risking more riding lawnmower accidents. Many lawn mowers with NMIR are designed so that the cutting blades shut off automatically when the lawnmower is driven in reverse. However, some NMIR models are designed with a mechanism for overriding the automatic shutoff feature, which could put children at risk.

Contact a product liability attorney for help in holding accountable lawn mower manufacturers, and any other parties in the supply chain who are responsible. Also, when a person’s negligent handling of a lawnmower causes someone else to be injured, they can be sued for negligence.

Speak with a Lawn Mower Injury Attorney at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a riding lawn mower accident, our attorneys can advise you on how to seek compensation for your injuries and to hold the product manufacturer responsible. We are a leader in lawn mower injury cases and will put our 75-plus years of combined legal experience to work for you.

Our personal injury lawyers help victims throughout Northern Alabama, including Huntsville, Athens, Albertville, Decatur, Florence, and Scottsboro. To speak with a firm partner about your lawn mower accident claim, call us for a free consultation locally at 256-677-4376. You may also send us a secure online message.