Georgia Farming Accidents on the Rise
When we think of farming, it is sometimes easy to visualize scenes of golden hay fields or fields of black and white dairy cows peacefully grazing. While these scenes do play out across Georgia, there is an underlying danger that lurks beneath these deceptively serene images.
The U.S. Department of Labor has listed farming as one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Farming accidents in Georgia are much more common than many people realize. For example, a sixty-year-old man was killed last month in an accident involving a baler in Cherokee County.
Farming is one of the most dangerous of all occupations. The rate of injury for full-time farm workers has risen to 39 for every 100,000 full-time workers. Farm employees place themselves at risk of serious injury every time they go to work to prepare agricultural products to go to market.
There are many types of accidents that can befall a farming employee including the following:
- Accidents with combines or balers
- Trampling by livestock
- Tractor rollovers
- Silo or grain elevator accidents
- Toxic chemical burns, poisonings, inhalation, and fires
Faulty equipment and farming machinery often play a fundamental role in farming accidents in rural Georgia. The causes of farming accidents may stem from a variety of sources including:
- Design or manufacturing defects of the equipment
- Removal of guards, shields and safety devices from farm equipment
- Failure of the employer to properly maintain the equipment
- Inadequate training or supervision of other employees
- Safety shutoff and power takeoff malfunctions
- Tractor rollovers
When someone is involved in an accident involving large farm equipment, the injuries sustained can be catastrophic including amputations, head injuries, spinal injuries and even fatalities like the recent Cherokee County baler accident.
A farm worker who is injured at work due to a farming accident or gets sick due to a work-related illness is normally entitled to worker's compensation benefits. An injured employee does not need to establish the negligence or fault of the employer but only that the accident occurred during the scope of the farm worker’s employment. When an employee suffers a catastrophic injury or wrongful death in a serious accident involving farming equipment, the limited compensation provided by the worker’s compensation system can be woefully inadequate. An experienced Georgia worker’s compensation attorney will also investigate the viability of a claim against any third party who contributed to your accident including an equipment manufacturer, customer or some other third party.
The Georgia farm accident attorneys of Montlick and Associates will fully investigate your farming accident and identify any and all responsible parties so that we can help you hold them accountable and get you the compensation you deserve. We will do our best for you as part of our ongoing goal of being the best farm accident lawyers in Georgia. Our Georgia farm accident lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.