Details were sketchy, but Cal-OSHA has stated that it will be investigating the incident to determine how the woman’s leg was caught in the harvester.
There is currently no word on the victim’s condition, although she was immediately airlifted to an area hospital for treatment.
How Did This Accident Happen?
There is no word yet on the events that led up to this accident, but it is probable that negligence or carelessness on someone’s part played a role in the injury. As Cal-OSHA investigates, they will ask about safety procedures in place, determine if they were followed, and make a judgment as to the cause of the accident. They will also make recommendations for future safety procedures to be followed and will enforce those provisions through inspections and fines for non-compliance.
Liability In This Accident
Clearly someone was negligent in the events leading up to this accident. The most important question that must be answered is who was negligent. The second important question is how to collect damages for the woman’s injuries from that person or entity.
If an individual was liable for the accident, the victim may name that person as a defendant in a lawsuit in order to get compensated for medical bills, recovery expenses, as well as pain and suffering or mental anguish. If a company is at fault, the same logic applies, although a suit against a large corporation may be much more difficult to pursue. In situations like this, consulting a professional Sacramento personal injury attorney is key. A personal injury lawyer can thoroughly investigate the accident, and pursue the victim’s interests in maximizing her compensation.
Workplace Accidents Hit Some Industries Severely
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California agricultural workers suffered about 11,000 non-fatal accidents in 2010. While other industries had far greater numbers of incidents, the fact that there are fewer agricultural workers means that in many cases this represents a much larger percentage of workers injured. For example, in the agricultural industry, 11,000 victims represent about three percent of the total workforce. Financial activities, which posted a total of 12,000 victims, actually had an injury rate of 1.5 percent—about half that of agricultural workers. Construction and wholesale trade also have high percentages of injuries because of the nature of these jobs. Employment which exposes workers to dangerous chemicals, equipment, and conditions is far more likely to produce serious injury than “desk jobs.” In fact, most injuries sustained by white collar workers are car accidents while traveling to and from work-related events.
