London, Nov 22 (ANI): Experts have revealed that ride-on lawnmowers are causing more accidents every year, landing thousands of people in hospital.

According to the Journal of Safety Research, a survey conducted over five years has shown that some 66,000 Americans ended up in emergency departments with injuries caused by lawn tractors.

Many suffered bruises or sprains, some suffered broken bones and amputations, and six people have died.

Most cases resulted from moving mowers or machines flipping over, with nearly 100 of the injured being run over by a mower - some were children who had been sitting on the driver’s lap and had fallen off.

Men made up the bulk of casualties, and most were aged 40 or older.Many were hit by objects or flying debris, or sustained injuries while unloading the mower or servicing it.

Best estimates for the UK suggest around 6,500 are hurt every year by lawnmowers, either hand-pushed or ride-ons.

In the past 12 months, 530 people had to be admitted for hospital treatment in England alone.

Former Norwich City football manager Bryan Hamilton needed surgery to save his foot after it became entangled in the blades of his ride-on mower.

His toes were broken and dislocated and tendons and arteries were torn when the blades sliced through the sole of his foot as he tried to jump off the falling mower.It took two operations by consultant plastic surgeon Elaine Sassoon and her team at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for Hamilton to make a recovery.

John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said people should be cautious when gardening.

“We all need to be careful. The risk of getting injured is low but we are not completely risk free. We regularly see patients coming into A&E with a number of injuries as a result of gardening activities,” the BBC quoted him as saying.

“Some have run over their feet with the lawnmower and others have badly cut their fingers on the blades,” he added.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said electric mowers and other power tools should always be used with an RCD - residual current device, which would cut off the power quickly in the event of an accident.

And maintenance must never be carried out while the mower is plugged in.It is also best not to have children around when cutting the grass and to wear strong shoes and trousers rather than shorts and sandals when mowing. (ANI)