When Lawn Mowers Attack: National Medical Societies Offer Tips to Prevent Injuries; Children Oft...( CHICAGO June 1 -- Using...),Health

CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Using a lawn mower can be as routine as bike riding or barbeques during spring and summer. But often, people find themselves in terrifying situations with these seemingly safe household machines. In fact, 200,000 people - 16,000 of them children - are injured in lawn mower-related accidents each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports. However, lawn mowers don't "attack" on their own. Most injuries - such as severed fingers and toes, limb amputations, broken bones, burns and eye injuries - are caused by careless use and can be prevented by following a few simple safety tips.

The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) have teamed up to prevent injuries and educate adults and children about the importance of lawn mower safety during National Safety Month, June 2009.

"In 19 years of practice as a plastic surgeon and microsurgeon, some of the most devastating and disabling injuries I've treated are from lawn mower accidents," said ASRM President William Zamboni, MD. "It's especially concerning when children are injured since most of these injuries are preventable."

Many lawn mower-related injuries require a team of physicians from various specialties - plastic surgery, microsurgery, maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, and orthopaedics - to properly repair them. Often, patients must endure painful reconstructive operations for months, sometimes years, to restore form and function.

"Power lawn mowers are dangerous adult tools, but many children, and sometimes adults unfortunately, see them as toys," said ASPS President John Canady, MD. "Lawn mowing can be dangerous to the operator as well as tho
'/>"/>