Many people fail to consider just how dangerous a lawn mower can be, especially riding mowers. Defective lawn mowers can result in serious injury, including deep cuts, burns, amputations, and more. In fact, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010, 253,000 people were affected by lawn mower accidents. The most common type of accident related to lawn mowers is a rollover accident.
Zero-turn mowers are especially susceptible to rollovers. If the mower tips over during a sharp turn, it may trap the operator beneath the weight of the vehicle with the blades still propelling, causing serious injury. If the lawn mower rolls over into a body of water, such as a pond, the rider may become pinned by the vehicle and drown. While seatbelts and rollover protective structures (RPSs) can protect against injury and death, they are not available on older model mowers.
Think this doesn’t happen? Think again. In May of this year, a man was killed at the Broken Sound Golf Club in Florida when his mower overturned, rolled down a hill, and landed in a pond on top of him. In 2015, a 40-year-old lawn maintenance worker was mowing the grass near a pond when the machine overturned into Florida’s Heritage Harbor, trapping him beneath four feet of water. And in 2014, a Florida landscape worker died in a similar accident when his mower rolled into a canal near a housing development.
Riding mowers are powerful pieces of equipment. When they are designed without the proper equipment and features to prevent injury, the manufacturer may be held responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by their product. Families who wish to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a loved one may be able to obtain compensation for things like loss of companionship, loss of support, and more.
