What to Do After a Tractor Accident
Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence on a farm. You or a co-worker is on a tractor, and something goes wrong. The tractor overturns. After this happens, do you know what to do? Do you know what steps to take to potentially save yourself or someone else?
Steps After a Tractor Accident
Farming accidents are one of the deadliest occupational injuries. Tractor accidents comprise almost half of all agriculturally related injuries. Therefore, the Farm Injury Resource Center wants to let you know the critical steps you should perform while waiting for a responder to come to the scene of the accident.
Step 1 – Keep Calm
Stay calm. This seems like a logical step. But, in times of crisis, it is the most overlooked one. When calm, call immediately for help. Also, notify other people on the farm to be watching for emergency responders.
Step 2 – Check Stability
Next, check the tractor’s stability. Sometimes a tractor rolled over and down a hill. Never approach the tractor from underneath it. Always approach the tractor and victim from uphill.
Step 3 – Turn off Tractor
Now, check to see if you can safely turn off the tractor. Make sure to never turn off the power take-off (PTO). This can move and do more damage to the victim.
Step 4 – Apply First Aid
Look over the victim and see if he or she needs any first aid to stop bleeding. Never move the victim. There could be a chance of spinal injury. Sometimes, a movement could make it worse, which can result in paralysis. Emergency responders will be able to skilfully handle this.
Step 5 – Contact Farm Injury Resource Center
Do not use the tractor again until you have spoken with the Farm Injury Resource Center. We will ensure that our knowledgeable agriculture attorneys investigate the scene. This will help discover potential product liability issues with the tractor’s manufacturer.
Farm machinery manufacturers have a legal responsibility to ensure their products are safe. Unfortunately, too often companies put profits before safety, and machinery injures workers. Holding the manufacturers and sellers of defective farm equipment accountable not only helps the person injured, but also helps deter the manufacturer from continuing to use defective products. Many successful defective product lawsuits result in recalls of the defective product, which prevents injuries to others and dissuades the manufacturer from cutting corners in the future.
So, after a tractor injury or any agricultural related injury, contact Farm Injury Resource Center. We offer confidential and free consultations 24/7 to assist you after an accident occurs.