I don’t think the statement that the Greenfield “killed the boy” is correct. If we’re referring to the incident I think we are, the boy in question was 12 and the mower was documented as having been both modified and in a poor state of repair. My memory is that it was an older machine that had been stripped of its mower deck to be used as a type of go cart and that the coroner’s report describes a combination of factors that contributed to the fatal accident; those issues relate to the manner in which the machine was operated and maintained. There wasn’t any criticism of the design or engineering which would have been the case if either of these factors had been considered as contributing to the accident.
Greenfield certainly isn’t the only mower manufacturer whose operators have died while using them in this country and it isn’t represented any more frequently than other makes among accidents and fatalities. There have been numerous other cases, a very large proportion involve rollovers and situations where the operator became pinned between the machine and landscape features. I’ve read these reports in the past and I’d prefer not to do so again.
Power equipment and steep terrain is a combination to be very wary of indeed. When combined with a lack of experience and understanding there can be devastating consequences.
