DALLAS, June 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says 230,000 people are treated each year in hospital emergency rooms for lawn-mower and garden injuries.
Dr. Maureen Finnegan, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at University of Southwestern Medical Center, says during the spring and summer she sees an increase in lawn mower-related injuries that involve accidental partial or complete amputations to the fingers or toes.
"Lawn mower injuries are more common among children than adults," Finnegan says. "Many of the injuries treated could be prevented, if people concentrated on the task at hand and used common sense when operating machinery."
This means always wearing sturdy shoes with grip soles, not allowing children younger than 14 to operate a mower, keeping bystanders out of the mowing area, using a stick to remove debris from the mower -- after first shutting off the engine and clearing objects from the lawn.
"In case of an accidental amputation, it's important to cleanse the amputated part with saline water, wrap it in gauze and put in a watertight bag," Finnegan says. "Place the bag over ice and take it with you to the emergency room."
