GET THE JUSTICE YOU DESERVE:
GET THE JUSTICE YOU DESERVE:
Law Offices of Alvin F. de Levie
TALK TO ALVIN TODAY FOR FREE
(215) 696-3900
Law Offices of Alvin F. de Levie
TALK TO ALVIN TODAY FOR FREE
(215) 696-3900

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LAW BLOG

Personal Injury: How Farming is One of the Deadliest Jobs in America

  • By Mike Bannan
  • 20 Sep, 2017

Lawn Mower Rollovers: More Common Than You Might Think

On July 13, 2016, a township worker in Schuylkill County was killed while cutting a lawn with a riding mower. The lawn mower had actually tipped over, causing it to fall down into a creek while the rider was still trapped underneath of the mower.

 

This incident, however, was not the first of its kind. Sadly, many lawn mower accidents like this one occur quite frequently every year, especially in the rural counties of Pennsylvania. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010, a shocking 230,000 people were injured as a result of a lawn mower accident. Further, an average of 80,000 people are seen in emergency rooms due to lawn mower accidents each year.

 

Some of the most common types of personal injury and work accidents involving lawn mowers are caused by the ride-on style mowers. While these types of mowers allow for large lawns to be mowed more quickly and efficiently, their high power, weight, and lack of safety features can cause seriously devastating injuries.

 

Obviously all riding mowers can be dangerous; however, zero turn radius mowers are a particularly hazardous style. As implied by the name, Zero turn radius mowers are made to turn on a dime, allowing the rider to make sharp turns within a 360-degree radius, rather than making turns with a wide arc. Zero turn mowers are also capable of reaching higher speeds than other models, typically maxing out at around 8 miles per hour. This makes them especially prone to rollovers, especially when driving on uneven surfaces and hills.

 

Lawn mower rollovers often result in the driver becoming trapped underneath of the riding mower, many times while the mower blades are still rotating at normal speed. Riding mowers have also been known to roll into bodies of water, trapping and even on some occasions drowning the rider. These machines can cause a wide variety of serious injuries, including:

 

  • Burns
  • Deep cuts
  • Dismemberment and other bodily mutilation
  • Head trauma
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Permanent disfigurement
  • Death

 

There are several safety devices installed on new riding mowers, such as rollover protective structures (ROP), which include roll bars and seatbelts. However, even these “safety” measures themselves can turn out to be more of a danger than a precaution. Some additions, like roll bars, can actually increase the mower's center of gravity, thus increasing the likelihood of the mower rolling over when attempting to mow on a slope or hill.

 

For any lawn mowing scenario one may experience, it is always very important to keep the various dangers surrounding the task in mind in order to stay safe. Taking advantage of the proper safety precautions, like wearing protective eyewear or other protective safety gear, can really be the difference between your safety and a serious injury.

 

Additionally, always educate yourself on proper lawn mower safety practices before you attempt to operate any dangerous machinery or equipment. It is always important to consider any hazards that may be generally overlooked, for example, a rocky terrain or an abnormally sloped lawn. Keeping all these dangerous factors in mind ensures safety when performing a regular task like mowing a lawn

 

If you or someone that you know has been injured in a lawn mower rollover or other related accident, the experienced personal injury attorneys at Alvin F. de Levie & Associates can help. Please contact our firm - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - at 215-351-1100 (Philadelphia Area), 814-238-5880 (State College Area) or 1-800-292-0458 (Toll-Free)  to speak to a dedicated member of our legal team for a consultation.

 

Alvin F. de Levie & Associates maintains offices throughout Pennsylvania, with locations in Philadelphia, State College, Clearfield, Bellefonte and Lock Haven, and we are willing to meet any clients throughout the Commonwealth.


Alvin F. de Levie is a 1973, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a 1976 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law. He is an expert in Pennsylvania Law revolving around medical malpractice and personal injury. 


Mr. de Levie has consistently been voted by his peers to receive Martindale-Hubbell's "AV Preeminent" 5.0 out of 5.0 rating. An AV Preeminent rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. 


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