Life on a Minnesota farm can be hard, filled with long days working outdoors with heavy machinery and equipment. Tractors, ploughs, balers, and a variety of hand tools are a few common items farmers operate or utilize every day. Farm machinery creates a hazardous setting for workers on corporate and family farms. When tragedy strikes on a farm, many are quick to blame the worker. However, many farm machinery accidents stem from defective products, inadequate training, and lack of proper safety equipment. Call Knutson + Casey after any type of farm incident in Minnesota. As your hometown attorneys, we have what it takes to help.
Every year, thousands of farm workers sustain serious and sometimes fatal injuries in farming accidents. According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is the most dangerous industry in the country. Farmer injuries can come from many different types of machinery and equipment around the farm. In many accident cases, the injured farmer was working alone or otherwise completing a job without abiding by acceptable standards of safety. In other cases, however, machinery defects or inherent dangers cause injury. Common examples of farm machinery accidents include:
Farm machinery accidents often result in permanent disability due to the violent nature of the injuries. Workers may lose limbs, break major bones, or otherwise suffer permanent impairment because of malfunctioning equipment or worker mistakes. Many farmers never recover from their injuries, passing away at the scene or days after a machinery accident. In Minnesota, multiple family members of a deceased worker may file a wrongful death claim.
In Minnesota, injured workers or the family members of deceased workers should seek counsel from Knutson + Casey, regardless of the circumstances of the accident. Minnesota uses comparative negligence laws, meaning a plaintiff may be eligible for compensation even if he or she was partially at fault for the accident. This is often the case in farm machinery accidents. Our attorneys can help you navigate state and local farming and workplace laws.
Most machinery accidents are preventable. Often, heavy machinery lacks the proper safety shields and devices that could prevent serious worker injury. Unfortunately, farms can be some of the most laid-back workplaces in terms of safety rules and regulations. While organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration establish safety laws for large and corporate farms, family farms continue to fly under the radar. Family farms in Minnesota may rely on their own judgment instead of state laws in terms of worker safety. This has contributed to hundreds of injuries and deaths in the state every year.
Poorly regulated farms can contribute to accidents such as vehicle rollovers, caught-in/between machinery, grain bin injuries, and more. With no incentives to change farming behaviors to improve worker safety, family farms continue to operate as they always have – sometimes without safeguards or proper training to operate heavy machinery. Farms can improve worker safety by increasing awareness of hazards, following equipment instructions, and maintaining machinery regularly.
Failure to take preventive measures, resulting in worker injury, may be grounds for a lawsuit. Farm machinery lawsuits can center on product liability law, unsafe premises, employer negligence, or a combination of elements. An investigation can help accident victims identify the proximate cause of their injuries. After any farming incident, contact an attorney. Call (507) 344-8888 or contact us online to get in touch with Minneapolis attorneys.