It’s harvest season in Illinois, and farming and agricultural work support communities statewide, but it also involves long hours and hazardous conditions.
During harvest season, farmers and agricultural workers often spend their days operating or working around heavy machinery. Equipment such as tractors, combines, grain augers, and harvesters can cause serious injury, putting farmers at risk daily.
Even though farmers put in long, hard days, workers’ compensation coverage isn’t the same for everyone in the field.
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission sets agricultural-employment exceptions, including an agricultural enterprise threshold based on working days. Even if you are not covered by workers’ compensation insurance, you may still be eligible to file a claim against a negligent third party.
How much compensation you can recover for your farming work injuries depends entirely on the details of your situation, the damages you have sustained, and your ability to prove another party’s negligence.
Types of Compensation an Injured Farm Worker Can Recover
Workers compensation
Most Illinois employees are covered by workers’ compensation insurance through their employer, which helps workers injured on the job recover compensation for medical bills, a portion of lost wages, and lasting effects such as permanent disability.
Third-Party Liability
After an injury caused by a farm tractor or other heavy farm equipment, you may face significant medical and rehabilitation expenses, but workers’ compensation isn’t necessarily your only source of compensation.
Depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding your injury, it may be worth exploring whether a third party was liable. If so, you may be able to recover a broader range of damages in a personal injury lawsuit.
Unlike a workers’ compensation claim, personal injury suits cover 100% of lost wages, as well as non-tangible damages like pain and suffering. While you typically cannot file a personal injury lawsuit against your employer, there are exceptions.
You may be eligible to bring this type of claim if your injury was caused by:
- An employee of another company, such as a delivery driver or contractor
- A negligent equipment manufacturer
- The maintenance company that failed to keep equipment in safe working condition
In most cases in Illinois, you must file a personal injury claim against a third party within two years of the incident. It is always ideal to consult an attorney as soon as possible to help preserve the details of your injury and to properly document all medical care.
Common Risks of Working With Farm Machinery
The size and features of heavy farm machinery are typically extremely dangerous for the operator and those working around the equipment, causing serious injury or even death in some cases.
Combines are one of the most important pieces of harvest machinery, particularly for Illinois corn and soybean operations. A combine harvester is a versatile agricultural machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans grain crops in a single continuous operation. The most common and severe injuries associated with combine harvesters include amputations, severe cuts, crushing injuries, and entanglements caused by moving mechanical parts.
Other common types of farming-related injuries include:
- Tractor rollovers: Tractor rollovers can result in crushing injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and fatalities.
- Grain bin and silo injuries: Workers can become trapped or engulfed in grain, creating a risk of suffocation, crushing injuries, or death.
- Entanglement injuries: Augers, belts, conveyors, and other moving components can catch clothing or body parts and cause severe injuries or amputations.
- Equipment malfunctions: Defective or improperly maintained farm equipment can malfunction and cause unexpected injuries. Depending on the circumstances, a manufacturer, repair company, or other third party may be liable.
- Farm equipment collisions: Tractors, combines, and other large agricultural machinery may collide with other farm vehicles or passenger vehicles, particularly when traveling on public roads.
- Falls from equipment: Falls from tractors, combines, trailers, and other elevated machinery can cause fractures, head injuries, and spinal injuries.
- Machinery fires: Combines and other agricultural equipment can catch fire during harvest, potentially causing serious burn injuries and property damage.
Compassionate Legal Support for Injured Farm Workers in Illinois
At Spiros Law, we understand the challenges agricultural workers and their families may face after a serious farm equipment injury. When a farmer is hurt on the job, the consequences can extend far beyond the initial injury, impacting their ability to work, support their family, and return to the activities they rely on every day.
Workers’ compensation may provide benefits to eligible agricultural workers, but an Illinois farm injury lawyer can also investigate whether a third party is liable. Don’t struggle alone to support yourself or your family or to get the care you need.
Discuss your injury claim with one of our farm accident attorneys at Spiros Law to ensure you receive fair compensation. We will investigate your case to determine whether a third party was involved and represent you with your best interests in mind. Uncovering the evidence you need can take a serious investigation, and our team is ready to put in the effort for hard-working men and women injured in the agriculture industry.
Our offices are conveniently located in Kankakee, Champaign, Danville, and Mattoon, IL, and we support residents statewide. If you’ve been seriously injured while working on a farm, contact us today.
