According to the CDC, 417 farmers and farm workers died from injuries sustained on the job in 2016. Transportation incidents including tractor collisions with motor vehicles and overturned tractors were the leading causes of death for these agricultural workers.
Most heavy equipment is not designed with safety in mind. They are designed to work, to move earth, and to pull other heavy vehicles, trailers, and equipment. They are designed with huge, tough tires to roll over uneven terrain and must have engines strong enough to traverse Virginia’s mountains and valleys. They’re designed to travel through mud, muck and goodness knows what else. So they’re great modern day work horses, but their very design makes a farmer’s already dangerous occupation, even more so.
Tractors Drive So Slowly. How Are They Dangerous?
High speed is often a factor in motor vehicle crashes, but variations in speed between vehicles are also leading causes of accidents. Farmers often use short passes of roadways to travel between fields on their tractors. This is perfectly legal for them to do! While traveling on the road shared with other motor vehicles, they are likely to be involved in a motor-vehicle -tractor collision. This is because the tractor is usually not going as fast as the cars, trucks, SUV’s, and tractor-trailers that they are sharing the road with. If the approaching driver does not see the tractor and adjust their rate of speed, a collision is likely to occur. Drivers of passenger vehicles and tractor trailers may also become impatient behind the slow moving tractor and engage in unsafe aggressive behaviors similar to those that occur in road rage accidents. Mistakes are made due to anger and impatience, and laws are broken. Passenger vehicle and tractor accidents most often result in severe catastrophic injury or wrongful death to the farmer.
Keep in mind, the passenger compartments on most tractors do not have airbags, some are not equipped w/ restraints, and most do not have protective rollover compartments to protect the operator of the tractor.
In a collision, a tractor is more likely to tip over or even rollover if the force is great enough. If seat restraints are available and in place, the operator is usually not ejected from the vehicle, but they are left to absorb most of the force from the collision. When ejected, the chances of escaping injury or death are also very slim. Many operators are thrown several yards from the accident and suffer broken bones, including spinal, neck and serious head injuries upon impact.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by a negligent driver, call The Thomson Law Firm today for a FREE consultation. Call today (540) 777-4900.
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