You probably associate accidents involving farm equipment with rural areas such as Quincy, and while farm accidents can and do happen here, research shows that farm accidents can happen in places you might not expect.
According to the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, approximately 70% of accidents involving farming equipment occur in rural areas, but 30% occur in urban areas.
Farmers in the Quincy area may be experienced with driving their farm equipment, but other drivers might not always know how to handle encountering farm equipment on the road. They may become impatient and try to maneuver around the farm vehicle or tailgate it, believing that they can get it to speed up or move off the road.
The type of road can make a difference
In addition to dangers from drivers of passenger vehicles on Illinois roads, the type of road farmers drive on can also increase the risk of an accident.
Research shows that accidents involving farm equipment are more likely to occur on:
- Roads with speed limits over 50 miles per hour
- Roads with a higher volume of vehicles
- Roads with smaller lanes and widths
- Farm to market routes
Farm vehicles are larger and heavier than most other vehicles on the roads, which means if you are involved in an accident while operating your farming equipment you are likely to experience serious injuries. Your equipment may overturn or rollover, crushing you underneath the heavy load.
Rebuilding your life after a farm vehicle accident
An injury can cause major disruption to your farming business, as you could be left unable to perform your duties. You will also likely face financial problems from medical expenses and the cost of repairing or purchasing new farm equipment.
After an accident involving farming equipment, you might wonder what your options are. As with any other personal injury case, you could recover compensation if you can prove the accident was caused by the negligence of another driver.