What to know about defective farming equipment

 Posted on July 14, 2015 in Firm News

People all across central Illinois work in the farming industry and people all across the world depend on the fruits of that labor. However, in addition to being crucial, farming can also be very dangerous.

Consider the equipment that is used on modern farms. There are huge combines, tractors, plows, planters and cultivators, not to mention the machines and tools like mowers, chain saws and trucks that many people use on a daily basis. With so much equipment on site, it is important to understand what your options may be if a machine is defective and causes a serious accident.

Farming equipment can be very complicated and intricate. People who buy the equipment typically won't know where the nuts and bolts were made or how the engine was assembled. They won't know who designed the product or whether all the proper warnings have been noted.

Because we don't know these things as consumers, we rely on the designers, manufacturers and sellers of the products to take seriously their duty to put out products that are free from defects. If any of these parties fail in this duty and a person is injured as a result of a defect, they can be named in a product liability lawsuit.

Even when products are enormous or designed to do things like dig, chop, break or burn, which is often the case with farming equipment, they must be made properly. They should work as they are expected to and come with adequate warnings and directions for proper use.

Accidents can and do happen on farms, especially when a person is using heavy or powerful machinery; not every accident is the result of a defective product. However, in the event of a serious farming accident, it may be wise to explore whether it was caused or exacerbated by a product that was defective or made using defective parts. If so, compensation for damages may be possible.

Source: FindLaw.com, "What is Product Liability?" accessed on July 14, 2015