Lawn Tractor Rollover Accident
Lawn tractor rollover accidents contribute heavily to the 10,000’s of emergency room visits each year caused by lawn mowers. Annually, around 100 people are killed by lawn tractor accidents and rollovers. Some 800 children will be hit or run over by lawnmowers, 600 of those children requiring amputations from lawn tractor accidents. Unfortunately, many lawn mower accidents have long been foreseeable and could be prevented by simple safety implementations such as no-mow-in-reverse (NMIR) switches and a roll bar or rollover protection systems (ROPS).
Lawn tractor mowers, especially, are prone to tipping and rollovers while making turns or encountering obstacles on sloped surfaces. Lawn tractor rollover accidents are extremely dangerous as the equipment usually weighs 600-2000 pounds and can crush the driver and deliver severe lacerations.
If you or a loved one has been injured on a lawn tractor or zero turn mower, talk to a product defect attorney about a product liability lawsuit for the injuries and losses suffered. No Fees or Expenses Charged on a Lawn Tractor Rollover Lawsuit, unless there is a settlement after the lawsuit or a verdict in a court of law.
Zero Turn Rollover Accidents
According to Consumer Reports, the increase in popularity of zero-turn models of lawn tractors or riding lawnmowers in recent years is strongly correlated with the increase in the number of deaths involving lawn tractor rollover accidents and other riding lawnmower deaths. Zero-turn mowers out steer almost all other lawn tractors with their ability to use the rear wheels as the turning mechanism with the front wheels being casters that flop around and follow. While on a flat, dry surface, these lawn tractors and riding lawnmowers perform relatively well, but when used on slopes of 5-20 degrees, many of these lawn tractors begin to slip and lose control resulting in dangerous rollovers and accidents that can result in severe injuries, amputations and crushing deaths.
When studying lawn tractor rollover accidents, the results from zero-turn lawn tractors on sloped surfaces were astonishing. Almost all zero-turn riding lawnmowers lost their steering control crashing into hazards as the braking controls are far more complex and harder to use and engage than a typical vehicle or lawn tractor foot brake. Lawn tractors that have zero-turn capabilities often require the driver to maneuver two separate levers to control the brake. When the lawn tractor loses control and rolls over, the ability of the driver to brake in an emergency is diminished greatly, if not impossible. The consumers of these tractors usually have not been fully warned on these risks and the warnings are inadequate compared to the deadly dangers associated with these tractors.
Lawn Tractor Rollover Protection, Roll Bars and ROPS
Lawn Tractor rollover injuries and deaths are extremely high as well with many mowers lacking rollover protective structures (ROPS) or any type of roll cage or rollbar. Often, a frequent cause of lawn tractor rollover accidents occurs when mowing along a ditch bank or near water where the driver has been mowing for a long time. Suddenly, a hole appears from within the grass or the soil bank collapses from the heavy weight of the lawn tractor causing the tractor to tilt resulting in a lawn tractor rollover accident. Unfortunately, many users still do not buckle up the seat belt which enables the rollover protective structure to fold and crush the driver in the event of a rollover. There are an additional 2.4 million lawn tractors and riding mowers in operation across the USA that have never been retrofitted with rollover protective structures, rollbar, roll cage or seatbelts. Studies have shown that a lawn tractor equipped with seat belts and a rollover protective structure has reduced rollover deaths in riding lawn tractors by 90% when both are used properly.
Contact a Lawn Tractor Rollover Accident Lawyer
If you or your loved one has suffered a severe and debilitating injury caused by an accident or rollover with a lawn tractor or riding lawnmower, the Willis Law Firm is here to help you get the compensation you may be entitled to. Often a lawn tractor rollover accident lawsuit must be immediately filed to protect the evidence at the scene and other critical evidence needed to win the lawsuit and damages for the clients. Call for a free case evaluation. Talk to a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer with over 30+ years of rollover accident and injury lawsuit experience.