Fatal Riding Mower Crash Outside of Woodland
On Thursday, November 11, 2021, a 58-year-old man was killed when he was involved in a car crash while operating a riding mower outside Woodland, California.
Details of the Riding Mower Accident
Authorities received a call shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon reporting the riding mower accident. A man had been driving a riding lawnmower northbound along Country Road 97 in the direction of Woodland. At the same time, another man was driving a 2003 Nissan on that same road. The Nissan driver crashed his vehicle into the mower, ejecting the driver.
Accident Scene Response
Authorities arrived at the incident scene shortly after the dispatch call came in. The man riding the mower, later identified as Genaro Gonzalez, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. According to reports from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Nissan driver sustained minor injuries.
Investigation into the Riding Mower Incident
Investigators have not yet determined the causative factors that led to the fatal crash. One of the officers who attended the scene remarked that in his 16-year career, he had not seen a crash like this. It is not believed that the Nissan driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol.
State Route 16 was closed for four hours from County Road 97 to County Road 24 while authorities collected evidence, cleaned up the scene, and conducted the initial investigation.
Accidents Involving Farm Equipment
Northern California is a region that is well known for its agriculture. As such, it has its share of serious accidents involving farm equipment. While the Woodland Area CHP officer remarked that he had never seen a similar accident during his career, they are not exceedingly rare in our region. Frequently we have reported on tractor accidents and serious injuries involving other types of agricultural equipment.
Driving Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads
Often, a farmworker will drive an agricultural vehicle on a public road for a short distance to move the equipment to a different farm or another area. It is legal to do so. However, when workers move tractors or other farming equipment on public roads, they face several dangers.
According to the National Safety Council, about a third of all deadly accidents involving tractors occur on public roads. Of those, roughly half are the result of crashes with other vehicles. In such a crash, the person operating the farm equipment is often severely injured or killed. The reason is the lack of safety protection and restraints on tractors and other farm vehicles, especially on older equipment. Newer models are equipped with rider protection devices, but most of the farming equipment in the United States is many years, even decades, old. Large farm vehicles are also prone to rollovers, which are highly dangerous and often deadly to the operator.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below covers safety tips for operating farm equipment on public roads.
Woodland Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello, and thank you for reading our report on this tragic riding mower accident. I’m Ed Smith, a Woodland personal injury lawyer. For decades, the skilled injury lawyers at AutoAccident.com have assisted residents of Woodland with their personal injury claims. We also compassionately advocate for grieving families who have suffered the wrongful death of a loved one. For free and friendly legal advice after an automobile accident caused by driver negligence, call us at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400.
To learn more about our firm and the services we offer, please visit the links below:
Photo by Paolo Nicolello via Unsplash
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