5-Year-Old Killed in Lawn Mower Accident in NY State: Police

An ambulance arrives at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 15, 2014. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

A 5-year-old child in New York state was killed after being run over by a riding lawn mower after he was thrown from it, police said.

New York State Police said troopers responded to a home in Conewango, located some 50 miles south of Buffalo, and found the child unresponsive. The child was discovered under the lawnmower, officials told the Post-Journal.

The child was found at around 8:30 p.m. on June 17, along Route 241 in Cattaraugus County, officials said.

“Further investigation revealed that a 5-year-old child was on a riding lawn mower without an adult and was thrown from the mower. The lawn mower drove over the child causing fatal injuries. The 5-year-old was pronounced [dead] at the scene,” a police statement read.

A 5-year-old child in New York state was killed after being run over by a riding lawn mower after he was thrown from it, police said. Google Maps

The identity of the child was not released, and the incident is still being investigated.

Other details about the incident aren’t clear.

According to a study from Johns Hopkins University (pdf) in 2018, about 6,394 people across the United States, on average, sustain serious injuries in lawn mower accidents, including cuts, burns, and broken bones.

Researchers found that children up to age 4 are more likely to have foot or lower-extremity injuries and are more likely to face amputation than those who are aged 15 and older.

The study noted that children are often “running into the yard while a family member is operating a lawn mower or sitting on the lap of a riding mower operator, falling, and their foot becoming trapped in the machine.”