Motor vehicle collisions often involve two passenger vehicles. There are also crashes that involve enclosed vehicles striking pedestrians, cyclists or motorcycle riders. Sometimes, commercial vehicles collide with passenger vehicles. Buses and semi-trucks are notorious for causing multi-vehicle crashes. Many drivers are proactive about giving commercial vehicles plenty of space.
There is another type of vehicle that people may encounter on rural roads. Farm vehicles ranging from tractors and cultivators to off-road vehicles sometimes travel on public roadways. Provided that they have appropriate signage and follow the rules of the road, it is theoretically legal for farm vehicles to travel on public streets.
Sadly, these large vehicles can be dangerous. They are sometimes unstable, especially when the vehicle is an older tractor. They can be difficult to spot and move much more slowly than other vehicles. What happens if those slow-moving, unwieldy farm vehicles cause collisions?
Operators or their employers may be liable
There are many ways for farm vehicles to cause crashes. They are slow-moving vehicles, which makes them a hazard to others on rural roads with higher speed limits. Particularly when there are sharp curves on a road, drivers may encounter farm vehicles in locations where they have limited opportunity to slow down or maneuver to avoid a crash.
In some cases, farm vehicles may not have lights and reflectors that make their vehicles visible to others after the sun sets, early in the morning or during times of inclement weather. They may not have signs warning others that they move slowly.
Occasionally, the people operating farm vehicles may engage in unsafe behavior. They might be under the influence. They might text or otherwise engage with mobile devices because they travel at such a slow speed on the road.
When farm vehicles are at fault for motor vehicle collisions, there may be questions about liability. In some cases, the operator of the tractor is liable. Other times, if the operator is an employee, the agricultural business that hired them might be liable for collision expenses. Tractor crashes have the potential to cause devastating property damage and severe injuries to others.
Holding the right party accountable can help those involved in car crashes caused by farm equipment recover their losses. Drivers involved in such crashes may need to review the situation at length with a skilled legal team to determine what options they have, and that’s okay.
