4-Year-Old Boy Killed by Tractor
An Iowa town is in mourning as many learned the tragic death of a 4-year-old boy. Last week, on a bright Saturday morning the young child was out playing. The boy’s father was backing up the tractor and ran over the child. Unfortunately, this tragic event isn’t uncommon on a farm. In fact, children are 4 times more likely to be killed than all other industries combined.
Farm Accidents Kill 300 Kids per Year
More than 300,000 farmers in the United States are under age 18. Farm accidents claim up to 300 children’s lives per year, according to the USDL, and more than 26,000 are injured. In fact, injury rates for children ages 10-15 increased in the past few years.
Leading Cause of Child Fatalities
The leading cause of child fatalities on a farm is machinery. Over 25% of the time, this was the case. Motor vehicles, including ATVS, came in second. Teenagers are one of the highest groups of children at risk on a farm. This is because it is legal to use any farming equipment. This includes tractors, which are responsible for the most farming injuries.
When a tractor rolls over, the chance of injury and even death is very high. New tractors must have rollover protective structures (ROPS). ROPS provides a protective space to prevent the tractor from crushing a worker. However, the seatbelt must be worn. Without it, a farm worker can easily fall out of the seat. Then, the tractor or ROPs can crush him or her.
Not Your Fault
Remember, you don’t have to use farm equipment negligently for it to malfunction. Farm equipment malfunctions occur because companies don’t design safe machinery. Manufacturers often fail to warn you of all the ways you can be injured while using these heavy, complex machines.
When farmers are injured by unsafe farm machinery without adequate warnings for secure operation, it is equipment is considered “defective”. This term that applies to poor design, improper manufacturing, negligent marketing, or all three.
Consequently, if you are an injured farm worker, if one of your family members has been injured or died working on a farm, or if you have lost wages due to injury, you may be entitled to compensation.