Just a couple of weeks ago, a man was working with a combine harvester when an accident happened that broke his leg in two places. The man laid alone in the field for some time before someone found him and took him to the Bloomington-Normal hospital. That same day, another Illinois man was killed and a passenger seriously injured after their car rear-ended a farm utility vehicle driving on a rural road. The impact to these victims’ families just before the Thanksgiving holiday cannot be understated, and also illustrates the serious danger that farming equipment can pose. 

Common Farming Equipment Accidents

Despite being responsible for the food that keeps us all alive, farming equipment - and the kind of work that it requires - exposes farm employees and even passers-by to dangerous risks. Agricultural workers, in particular, are at risk of sustaining injuries from farming equipment, although friends, neighbors, and even pets of people who live adjacent to farms can be injured as well. 

Although the injuries resulting from farming equipment are numerous and vary in seriousness, the most common accidents that result in injury or death include: 

Originally published: April 9, 2019 -- Updated: August 3, 2022

Update: In addition to understanding the types of tractor accidents that commonly occur on farms as detailed below, victims who are injured in these situations will need to determine who was responsible. By establishing fault for an injury, a person can ensure that they will be able to pursue compensation from all available sources. Accidents involving tractors may occur because of:

• Operator error - A person operating a tractor may fail to follow the correct safety procedures, causing them to strike or run over other farm workers or causing a rollover accident that injures multiple people. Farm employees who are injured on the job because of the actions of a tractor operator will typically be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

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Agriculture is a major industry in central Illinois, and there are more than 70,000 farms in the state that provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers. However, working on a farm can be dangerous, and there are multiple types of situations where injuries can occur. Tractor accidents are one of the most common ways that farm workers may be injured. Those involved in these types of accidents will want to work with an attorney to determine their options for receiving financial compensation.

Causes of Tractor Accidents

Every year, more than 30,000 people suffer serious injuries while working on farms in the United States. Around 400 people are killed each year in these types of accidents, and around half of all fatalities occur in tractor accidents. These accidents may involve a tractor running over a person, a tractor colliding with a motor vehicle, or a person becoming entangled in a tractor’s machinery.

Tractor rollover accidents are the most common cause of fatal injuries on farms, and around 130 people are killed every year in these types of accidents. In fact, around 10% of all tractor operators will be involved in a rollover accident at some point during their career. These types of accidents can cause a person to suffer serious injuries in a fall or due to being crushed underneath a tractor. Some common types of injuries in these situations include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and injuries to the limbs resulting in amputation.

In the course of your Illinois workers' compensation case, you may learn that your employer or its insurer wants you to undergo an Independent Medical Examination. Understanding the basics of this process can help you navigate this part of your case.

Many people ask if they really need to appear for the IME. The answer is, yes. Section 12 of the Workers' Compensation Act entitles employers or their insurance companies to require claimants to submit to an IME. Failing to comply may result in suspension of benefits until you appear for the examination.

What the IME covers

It was a devastating scene at a rural Illinois farm recently when a 73-year-old man was reported missing. He had been working on the farm, and his vehicle was located near a grain bin. Search and rescue teams responded and launched efforts to empty the grain bin. They ultimately found the man hours later, but he had died.

This accident was no doubt catastrophic; but unfortunately, grain bin accidents are not uncommon across Illinois. Workers often need to get into the grain bin, which hold tens of thousands of bushels of grain, to unclog it. Once the grain starts moving again, a worker can get pulled under and can suffocate. Whether that was the case in this recent accident or not remains to be confirmed.

This accident is a tragic reminder of the risks that people who work on farms face on a regular basis. Modern farms utilize complex technological systems, powerful tools and fast-moving machines in order to expedite certain processes. Because of this, many farms also run with just a small number of workers, which means that many accidents happen when there is only one worker present. Without a second party to assist or call for help, any accident has the potential to be fatal. This is often the case when a person is involved in a grain handling accident.