Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Riding Lawnmower Child Backover Blade Contact Accidents

Abstract

Since The Mid 1960s, The Popularity And Use Of Riding Lawnmowers And Lawn & Garden Tractors In The United States Have Grown Steadily. With The Growing Popularity Of These Machines Has Also Come Increased Numbers Of Riding Mower-Related Accidents, Including Children Being Backed Over Or Run Over And Injured By The Mowers Spinning Blades. Reconstructing Such Child Backover Or Runover Blade Contact Accidents Requires The Forensic Engineer To Pay Specific Attention To Certain Factors That Are Unique To Such Incidents... While This Paper Provides Background Information About Child Backover Blade Contact Accidents, And Provides Information About No-Mow-In-Reverse, The Primary Purpose Is To Offer A Tool That Has Been Found To Be Helpful And Effective In Organizing, Analyzing And Displaying Information, Time-Related Events And Travel Distance Data In Off-Road Slow-Moving-Event Accidents, Accidents Such As Child Backover Blade Contact Accidents, So That A Reasoned Reconstruction Of The Accident Can Be Developed, A Range Of Assumptions Can Be Studied, And What If Questions Can Be Isolated And Compared - All In A Format Understandable To The Layperson.