What type of tractor accident is responsible for over half of all tractor deaths?
Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss
- Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at 844SeeMike.
- Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
- Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.
Every year, hundreds of people suffer serious injuries or fatalities due to tractor accidents. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), there are four common types of tractor accidents. These include:
- Tractor rollovers – Also known as overturn accidents, tractor rollovers account for more than half of all tractor deaths. Sideways rollovers and backflips are the most common type of overturn accidents on farms.
- Tractor turnovers – Tractor runovers cause approximately 60 deaths per year in the U.S. and occur in one of two ways: 1) the tractor operator falls from the moving tractor and is crushed, or 2) the tractor operator is run over when standing on the ground starting the tractor.
- Tractor collisions – Approximately 50 tractor operators are killed when the tractor they are operating collides with motor vehicles or trains.
- Tractor entanglements – These types of accidents occur in the power take-off (PTO) drivelines that power the tractor’s shafts, belts, chains, pulleys, and gears. Entanglements occur when the guards covering these parts are removed or damaged.
NIOSH approximates that 130 people die each year due to tractor rollover accidents, making it the single most deadly farming accident in the United States. These deaths can be prevented with the use of a rollover protection structure (ROPS), however, little more than half of all tractors on U.S. farms and ranches are equipped with such protective measures. When used with a seatbelt, NIOSH states that ROPS systems are 99% effective in preventing serious injuries and deaths in tractor rollovers—yet more than 2 million tractors in the U.S. are not equipped with this safety device.
Tractor rollover accidents are not always the fault of the operator, however. They can also be caused by design and/or manufacturing defects, false advertising, or misleading operating instructions.
Agricultural jobs rank as one of the most dangerous in the U.S. The lawyers at 844 See Mike will work with you to help determine whether filing a lawsuit is in your best interest and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve. If you or a loved one suffered an injury on a farm, contact us today.
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