Amputation Lawyer

Farming accidents are another common cause of amputations. As a matter of fact, 11 percent of farming accidents involve amputations and 1 out of 10 farm workers suffer an amputation injury in their career. About 26 percent of farm accidents involve injuries to the fingers or hands. Farming amputation injuries often occur due to inadequate safety features on farming equipment such as augers, combine headers, and grain bins. Farm equipment manufacturers have a duty to design safe products that account for potential injuries. Sadly, many farms still use dangerous equipment that lack proper safety features, and some farms do not follow proper safety regulations even if their equipment does have proper safety features. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined an Illinois grain company nearly $630,000 after one its employees fell through an unguarded hole in a grain bin and suffered a partial leg amputation. OSHA says the injury occurred because the company failed to cover the holes leading to the conveyer and did not utilize guardrails or travel system restraints to keep the workers from falling through the unguarded holes. 

Other farm amputation injuries can occur through:

• • Tractor Accidents – Injuries from tractor accidents account for the most farming-related deaths in the US. Tractors tipping and pinning operators is the most common among these accidents and those injuries can often lead to amputations. Other tractor accidents can involve collisions with other tractors, cars, other workers or pedestrians, and operators falling off while the tractor is moving. 
  • Crush injuries – Operators and other workers being pinned by heavy equipment such as tractors, recreational vehicles, trailers, and other moving machinery can cause injuries that require amputation. When a heavy piece of equipment crushes an arm or leg and the injury leaves the limb badly mangled, amputation is often the only option for treatment. 
  • Entanglement Injuries – Loose clothing, shoe strings, gloves, or hair caught in heavy machinery such as augers, corn pickers, and balers can lead to amputation or death. Other entanglement injuries that lead to amputation can involve moving belts, chains, and gears. 
  • Electrocution Injuries – Farm electrocutions often occur due to contact with overhead power lines.  Large tractors and other equipment can become a serious electrical hazard if they come in contact with power lines. Workers can be seriously injured or die if they contact the ground and equipment touching an overhead wire at the same time. By doing so, they create an electrical channel and risk electrocution. Electrocution-related amputations can occur if the injury damages a finger or limb beyond repair. 
  • Burn Injuries – Farm workers are exposed to many dangerous chemicals that are fire risks or cause serious injuries if they contact the skin. These chemicals can include dangerous pesticides and herbicides, chemical cleaning solvents, fuels, and other agrichemicals. Amputations can occur after severe burn injuries cause significant damage to fingers, limbs, or other parts of the body.  
  • Infection – Farm labor comes with increased risk of infection – from machine injuries, animals, and fellow farm workers. A common cause of farm-related infection amputation is injuries suffered from unsanitary machines. If a worker suffers an open wound from a dirty machine, it can be prone to infection if not treated properly. Infections can lead to amputation if doctors are not able to control the spread of the infection and have no choice but the remove the affected body part.