About Farm Equipment Accident Lawsuits - General Legal Information You Should Know

Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations. Every year, thousands of farmers are injured, severely mangled, or even killed in agriculture accidents involving farm equipment. In addition to saws, blades and grinders, the farm is full of large machinery. Defective farm equipment, such as bulldozers, balers, harvesters, feed systems, augers, plows, planters, pickers and shredders can be lethal. In many cases, sadly, the accident was preventable, if only the manufacturer had not neglected to install a safety guard or explicit warning label.

A significant percentage of farm accidents and fatalities involve tractors. Tractors may rollover, killing the passenger or passengers. Investigations reveal that these tragic tractor deaths could have been prevented if the tractor was equipped with a rollover protective structure and seatbelts.

Hay balers are dangerous machines, too. Sometimes, the rollers are moving so quickly, the unprepared worker does not react quickly to let go of the hay or twine and is pulled into the running machine. Some machines have unsafe designs with unguarded belts or rollers. Lawsuits have been filed against the baler machine manufacturers, for neglecting to install a simple bar guard.

Grain augers are commonly used to move large volumes of grain from one storage unit to another. But the augers rotating blade is easily broken or shaken loose. Such shoddy blade design is a serious manufacturing flaw.

Other injuries that are caused by defective farm equipment include head injuries, back injuries, loss of limbs, brain injuries, and inhalation of toxic pesticides and herbicide fumes. Certain tools used to handle animals may be defective and also cause injuries. Improperly built silos and manure pits are also sites for injury.

A farmer relies on their equipment. Defective machinery not only can cause physical harm, but a broken piece of equipment can hurt a farmer in other ways. A broken machine can halt farm production and hurt the entire farm operations, leading to financial and emotional difficulties by the honest farmer trying to earn a living.

A farm accident attorney can help represent victims or those who were close to the victim of a farm machine related accident. In farm injury cases, the lawyer can determine who was responsible and liable for design defects, failure to warn of foreseeable hazards, neglect of the installation of machine guards and safety devices, improper repair, or the malfunction of safety or power switches. Not only can you seek compensation for physical injuries, but a lawyer can tell you your rights to seek damages from pain and suffering, trauma of witnessing a farm-machine related accident, and other losses.