Man brings suit against equipment maker for operator presence switch malfunction

[Tig]

Last time I got bit was while I was carefully shutting down the tractor after I noticed that I disturbed a nest with my loader. I figured shut down and risking a sting was a better option than a panic bailout or attempting a getaway in reverse.
The sting healed before night fall.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I jumpered my seat safety switch because the switch kept failing all the time, usually leaving me out in the boonies with a dead tractor. Just means you have to be religious about dropping the attachments and setting the brake before leaving the seat.

 

[dave1949]

Individuals usually sue supported by their insurance company, depending on the state. Have gone through this in the past.
This is hard to believe because operator presence devices are usually designed to be fail safe, aggravatingly so.

First thing I do on an accident investigation is check all safety devices for function and tampering. Guy rolls, heirs sue, I investigate. Missing or non-functioning safety devices, or seat belts not used, game over. They can sue all they want. Many cases we get paid our legal fees due to frivolous suits, sometimes triple our costs.

That sounds like interesting work. I bet you don't get bored with it.

 

[joshuabardwell]

i think i'd rather have a few stings than parts chopped off.. but that's just me. ;(

The one time I mowed over a yellowjacket nest, I got stung once... twice... kicked the mower into high gear and pointed it at the horizon. Never even occurred to me to jump off. I'll be darned if I'm leaving my mower behind for those little bastards to play with.

 

[grnspot110]

What I was going by, in my case, my pickup was backed into by an uninsured driver. I had to pay my deductible, but was refunded a year later after my insurance company sued the other driver for the money, in my name! ~~ grnspot

 

[Soundguy]

The one time I mowed over a yellowjacket nest, I got stung once... twice... kicked the mower into high gear and pointed it at the horizon. Never even occurred to me to jump off. I'll be darned if I'm leaving my mower behind for those little bastards to play with.

yep.. while not common.. i have mowed over or threw a swarm of something. seldom have I ever been hit more than a time or 2 at MOST

diving off a moving machine to let it tear down a fence and head off into the sunset without me was never even one of the possible choices...

 

[Loadstar]

It does not make much sense to me why you would dive off machine. If it stops right there you have to back into the swarm and get it anyways or try to chase it down to run over yourself. I have thought about installing a breakaway device like on atv or jet ski to my ford for mowing. I'm not a real big fan of the seat switch but I'm completely fine hooking a clip to my shirt that kills the machine in my absence.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Hit one with a push mower once.. ran like crazy with my dog hot on my tail! Left the mower as I am allergic and needed to get to the house quick... 10mins later, my boy comes home from school and thinks 'dumb dad left the mower to get stolen' and tries to retrieve it.... He ended up running too

 

[NorTracNY]

In the last year, I or anyone in my family cannot go to the doctor without our insurance company sending us an "audit" letter. The letter wants to know where the person was when their "injury" occurred. They are just fishing to see if they can sue someone. I always ignore the letters.

 

[MHarryE]

That sounds like interesting work. I bet you don't get bored with it.

Interesting, yes. Getting to the bottom of an accident - was it our (design or manufacture fault) or was it some other error. Too many have been good Samaritans jumping on a machine with which they are not familiar, not belting in, then dumping the machine. The grisly part is reading police reports, autopsy reports, and victim pictures. The best part is watching a scanning electron microscope with world renown metallurgists (from plaintiff and multiple defendants - victim's families sue everybody) discussing what they see. Or learning a major Japanese motorcycle manufacturer sent flowers to the funeral of the first accident victim using one of their bikes in America. Proper thing to do in Japan, but turned out to be used as admission of guilt in American court. That blew me away.