Sheila McGill’s 14-year-old son was a veteran snowblower user, taking on the task of cleaning off the driveway and sidewalk of their suburban Plainfield, Ill., home for the last three years.

It was a terrifying shock for her then, when she got a call Dec. 10 saying the teenager had mangled his hand while doing the job.

Kenny McGill lost half of his index finger and surgeons had to reconstruct the middle finger of his right hand. He told his parents he used his hand to clear clogged snow out of a collector chute, and an unseen blade caught it, his mother said.

The teenager faces physical therapy and a long healing process.

Kenny McGill’s experience is by no means an isolated incident. There are about 4,500 hand injuries related to snowblower use reported in the United States each year, said Carlos Martinez, assistant medical director for Adventist Bolingbrook (Ill.) Hospital.

Snowblower injuries can be particularly brutal, Martinez said, because the blades of most of the machines don’t make a straight cut like a knife would.

Rather, their rough edges can mutilate fingers, making it harder to reattach an amputated finger.

The kind of injury that Kenny endured — losing part of his finger — is the most common snowblower wound Martinez sees, he said.

“The classic scenario is wet, heavy snow gets stuck … and people put their hand in the collector,” he said.

Despite the danger, sales of the machines are soaring, at least for an online power equipment store that recently opened in Bolingbrook, Power Equipment Direct.

Founder Jon Hoch said he can barely keep some blowers in stock.

“A lot of the manufacturers can’t keep up,” he said. “We’ve got back orders.”

Most blowers come with one or more warning stickers, and the larger ones, known as two-stage blowers used mostly when more than a foot of snow falls, come with a scoop-out tool for use when snow gets clogged.

McGill said there was no warning near the chute where her son put his hand, and there was no visible sign of a blade.

Clogged snow is a common problem with snowblowers, Hoch said.

Hoch said sometimes the problem can be addressed with products, described as “Pam for snowblowers,” meant to prevent clogging.

He also said a common problem is people using the machine too slowly.

“If the snow’s not flying very far, it’s because you’re not going fast enough,” he said.

Most importantly, Martinez and Hoch agree, is to minimize distractions.

“Obviously concentrate while using it, don’t drink or be mad or angry,” Martinez said.

“A healthy fear of a snowblower is actually a good thing.”