Most Common Types of Farm Injuries

There may not be a more idyllic or satisfying work environment than the fields and rolling hills of Iowa. But although agricultural work is often a rewarding way to support you and your family, it can be dangerous and even deadly if landowners, operators, and farm equipment manufacturers do not take safety seriously. In fact, according to the US Department of Labor, farming industry fatalities rose 11% in 2008, with 651 deaths recorded across the country. Aside from farm industry fatalities, 243 agricultural workers suffer injuries every day in the United States, 5% of which lead to permanent disabilities.

Here are some of the most common types of serious farm accidents and farm accident injuries:

• Tractor overturn deaths. Each year approximately 100 U.S. farmers are killed when their tractor rolls over during use - and many more suffer serious injuries during tractor overturn incidents.
• Farm structure falls. Many farmers and farm workers suffer serious injuries sustained in falls from farm equipment, grain bins, ladders, haymows, or other farm buildings. Others are struck by falling objects.
• Farm machine entanglements. Farm workers can be seriously maimed, disfigured, or killed when they become caught in farming machinery such as augers or PTO shafts.
• Suffocation accidents. Farm workers may become trapped in a grain bin or silo where they are suffocated. Others may become trapped in enclosed spaces that do not have proper oxygen levels or that are contaminated with silo gas or manure gas.

While some of these Iowa farming injuries could not have been prevented and are simply tragic accidents, many Iowa farm industry injuries could have been prevented if not for the negligence of another person or entity. Here are just a few ways examples of farm accidents that may have been caused by negligence:

• A farm equipment company does not put adequate warnings on their products.
• A piece of farming equipment is defective or dangerous.
• A farm employer, owner, or operator removes safety devices, such as shields, from a piece of equipment.
• A farm employer does not properly train workers to use the farm equipment.
• A farm employer does not discontinue the use of a broken or faulty piece of equipment.

Each year in Iowa, one in five farms is the scene of a serious agricultural industry accident. These accidents can lead to serious bodily injury, including loss of limbs and amputation, head injuries and brain damage, back injuries and spinal injuries, disfigurement, and death. These injuries can keep you from returning to work, permanently lower your quality of life, and require ongoing medical treatment. If someone else was responsible for your farm industry accident, they could be responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.

Get help for your farm accident injury case today. If you have been seriously injured in a farm accident in Iowa, or if you have lost a loved one in a farm accident, talk to an experienced farm accident attorney today. Even if your Iowa farm accident is different from those described above, tell us about your case. At Brady Preston Gronlund, we pride ourselves in taking on challenging and unique cases, especially if it means finding justice for the victim of an Iowa farm accident.