What can be done to prevent tractor rollover deaths?

 Posted on November 25, 2015 in Firm News

If you've ever had a horse or cow step on your foot you know that working around a farm can be hazardous. But the risk of injury in the agricultural setting is a lot greater than that posed by just livestock.

As we wrote about last month, modern farming is right near the top of the list of sites where industrial-type accidents can occur. The machinery is dangerous, requiring a significant level of training and experience, and the regulatory oversight is not always what it could or perhaps should be.

Such accidents happen all too often around central Illinois and victims of them need to be aware that obtaining due compensation can be challenging. Working with experienced legal counsel is always advisable.

Accidents involving tractors have proven to be among the most deadly. According statistics compiled by Country Financial of Bloomington, more than a third of farm-related deaths every year are due to tractor rollovers. The second most common cause of farm-related fatalities is attributed to collisions involving farming equipment.

In the most recent one-year period reviewed, from June 2014 to July 2015, Country Financial says 14 people died due to farm-related accidents in Illinois. Of them, half were due to tractor rollovers.

And it is in light of those numbers that the company suggests some thoughts for improving overall safety. The first recommendation is to avoid using tractors along steep grades where they could tip. In addition, the company urges the adoption of tractors with roll over protection structure. But perhaps most importantly, tractor operators would do well to take advantage of seat belts.

Preventing farm injury is possible, but it does tend to require conscious commitment to the cause.

Source: Illinois Farm Bureau, "Tractor Rollovers Main Cause of Fatalities," accessed Nov. 25, 2015