Nokomis farmer run over by own tractor

A farmer from Nokomis remains hospitalized in St. John's Hospital in Springfield after suffering multiple fractures when he was run over by his own tractor.  The man was adjusting the hydraulics on the harrow he was pulling when the tractor began to move forward passing over his body from his lower left to his upper right, sparing his head.  He will have to undergo multiple surgeries for his injuries.

This was an accident which could have been easily prevented with the use of a dead man's switch.  A dead man's switch is a switch that is incorporated into the seat of a tractor which keeps the motor from being put into gear when there is no one in the driver's seat.  The pressure from the weight of the rider activates the switch which allows the tractor to be out into gear.  The failure to include a dead man's switch is a type of design defect in the tractor which is a basis for a suit against the product manufacturer.

As experienced Chicago personal injury lawyers, we would strongly recommend to the family of this man that they hire experienced counsel to represent them and to take all necessary steps to preserve the product in the same condition it was in at the time of the accident so as to allow engineers and other experts to properly inspect and evaluate the condition of the tractor at the time of the accident.