Tragedy at Sutter County Farm
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, a 24-year-old man from Yuba City sustained fatal injuries when he was struck by a truck while working on a Sutter County farm. The tragic incident occurred on Carlson Road, just north of O’Banion Road. According to a report from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the deceased had been working on a farm at the time of the deadly incident.
Details of the Sutter County Farm Incident
According to the CHP, at approximately 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, a 35-year-old man and resident of Gridley, California, was working on a peach tree shaker, which is a piece of farm equipment that expedites the gathering of fresh fruit. Another worker was standing in the area between the work truck and its attached trailer while conversing with a third worker. When the Gridley man had finished his work on the tree shaker, he entered his truck, a 2009 Ford F550, and proceeded to drive away. Another worker yelled out to stop the vehicle. When he got out of the truck, he found that he had hit the man, a Yuba City resident, that had been standing between the truck and trailer.
The Yuba City man suffered fatal blunt force trauma injuries in the incident. Investigation continues, and no arrests have been made.
The Dangers of Farming
Farming remains one of the deadliest occupations in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled the following surprising facts:
- Farming is two times as deadly as law enforcement.
- Farming is five times deadlier than firefighting.
- A farmworker is 73 times more likely to die on the job than a Wall Street investment banker.
Injuries and deaths are so common in the farming industry that nearly every farmworker in rural American has had their lives touched by such incidents. Most of the danger comes from hazardous farm machinery. Nearly a third of all farmworker deaths are caused by tractor rollovers. While newer tractors are required by law to include rollover protection, the vast majority of tractors in use throughout the U.S. pre-date those laws and thus do not have such protection. A tractor can last for decades, and many that are still in use are 30 to 50 years old. Throughout the country, there are many incentive programs for retrofitting old tractors with rollover protection.
Another reason farm work is so deadly is that farmers often work alone and in remote areas. This can result in a delay in emergency medical attention.
Will There be Increased Farm Safety Regulations?
There has been much discussion about tightening regulations with regard to farming to make workers safer. However, policymakers are concerned that increasing safety requirements may force many farms out of business due to the industry’s thin business margins. Also, farmers are traditionally very independent and self-reliant. That is their culture. As such, the farmers themselves are often against the idea of increased regulation. They do not want OSHA inspectors visiting their land. While the topic of increasing farm safety regulations is often discussed, because of the complexities, it does not appear that there will be any federal action in the near future.
Watch the YouTube video. The news clip below discusses farm accidents.
Personal Injury Lawyer in Yuba City
Hello, and thank you for reading our report on this tragic Sutter County farm accident. My name is Ed Smith, and I am a Yuba City personal injury attorney. If you have been seriously injured in a vehicle accident, or your family has suffered a great loss due to a wrongful death incident, please call our compassionate injury lawyers at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400. We can set up a no-obligation consultation to review the details of your potential case, or we can simply offer free and friendly advice.
For more than 38 years, I have advocated for injured Yuba City residents. Please see the following links to read client reviews for my firm:
Photo: Pixabay
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