Actual stories of lawsuits for doing tractor work for hire.

[two_bit_score]

Yes, and no...

...and it depends.....

 

[Industrial Toys]

Maybe property damage isn't the biggest worry. Hurting someone is. Someone that may not sue you for property damage (as in a friend) often has no choice whether to sue you for injury. And, that is usually millions.

Many years ago, our bush hog mower threw a baseball size stone, through our house window a couple hundred feet away. An opposing panelled wall in the house got imbedded with the glass. Good thing, no one was in the room. ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN.

And the other thing is, it does not seem to matter who is to blame. It's where the money can be had. I heard of how the law works in Ontario. If two people are in a partnership, and one has money and the other doesn't, and the poor guy makes a mistake, that you get sued for, the blame goes to the guy with the money.

In other words. If you don't have a pot to piss in and no insurance, you are in the best possible position to do contract work. No lawyers will have any interest in you at all. ****, they will probably try and sue the maker of your tractor.

 

[aczlan]

Maybe property damage isn't the biggest worry. Hurting someone is. Someone that may not sue you for property damage (as in a friend) often has no choice whether to sue you for injury. And, that is usually millions.
Many years ago, our bush hog mower threw a baseball size stone, through our house window a couple hundred feet away. An opposing panelled wall in the house got imbedded with the glass. Good thing, no one was in the room. ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN.

The other night I was cleaning up some brush in the hedgerow with the big 3 point finish mower and threw a softball sized stone 50' into the field.
It hit the ground hard enough to embed itself completely into the ground.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

The other night I was cleaning up some brush in the hedgerow with the big 3 point finish mower and threw a softball sized stone 50' into the field.
It hit the ground hard enough to embed itself completely into the ground.

Aaron Z

I was brush cutting a friend's vacant lot for them last year in prep for them building a new house. I told the guy to stay away from me while the brush cutter was running, but he was running around the lot picking up branches and stuff. I was coming to the area where he was working and told him to go stand behind the Suburban for a few minutes while I cut. I hit a rock about 4" in diameter, it flew about 50', bouncing right toward the Suburban just as he peaked out. It ended up going under the truck and across the road, total of about 100'. He stayed away after that.

Mowers are dangerous.

 

[lennyzx11]

Here's an article I read just this week. It is NOT tractor related.

What gets me is the fact that the plaintiff is "known" for lawsuits!

Man Trapped in $3, Lawsuit Over $4 Printer

 

[lennyzx11]

Double post

 

[two_bit_score]

Here's an article I read just this week. It is NOT tractor related.

What gets me is the fact that the plaintiff is "known" for lawsuits!

Man Trapped in $3, Lawsuit Over $4 Printer

That would seem to qualify the plaintiff as being a 'Vexatious Litigant' in Texas. He could basically have his right to sue suspended and he could only sue with permission of the administrative judge who can only grant permission if he finds the proposed lawsuit has merit.

TBS

 

[topbuilder]

9,003 views, 96 replies, some of them on topic. Have we had our first (first person) case yet?

 

[ultrarunner]

As we know just about anyone can sue for anything...

The family has an old building for sale that was bought in 1942... the city has no records going back... just a permit in 1969 to take down a shed and one in 2000 for a new sewer line.

The buyers wanted a price reduction and we said it is being sold As-Is and are more than happy to release them from the contract and release their deposit...

Buyers want a 50% price reduction and have said they are going to sue so no one else can buy...

Such is life... I really don't care and would just as soon keep it...

What part of As-Is don't they understand?

One of my friends had a small tractor service... he hated to work in the city... seems there was always a problem...

He did get sued because someone said his ecuvation to lots over stirred up dust... nothing came of it.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

9,003 views, 96 replies, some of them on topic. Have we had our first (first person) case yet?

Here's the thing: as others have posted, a million dollars of liability insurance for tractor operation costs about $800 a year. Insurance companies are in it for the money, and they know risk, so the price of insurance tells you all you need to know about the likelihood of something happening. If they're taking in money by the hundreds and potentially paying out by the millions, they thing they're insuring against has to be incredibly rare. That doesn't mean it never happens, but it's not going to be common.

Secondly, most lawsuits are settled, and most settlements have confidentiality clauses. So most people who have been involved in lawsuits aren't at liberty to discuss them. Only a fool would risk losing his insurance coverage by discussing a settlement, even under an alias on an internet forum.