Brush hog accident(s)

[Hay Dude]

Farmers run over deer all the time when rotary cutting high grass.


Unfortunately I had this happen to me 2 years ago, Very upset with myself. Didn't even see it. That nasty thud from mower was the giveaway

Yes, we do. It’s an unfortunate part of the job.

I hit 1 to 3 per year. One guy told me another local farmer killed 6 in one 75 acre field.

 

[John0829]

homeowner accidents like this are common.... sometimes i wonder about flung objects when i pass the state hwy utility corridor mower crews as they mow (wouldn't have their job for nothing)

on the same subject, i fear those homeowners who incessantly mow their highway frontage feet from the traffic slipstream @ 55...i don't fear for my own safety, but theirs when i pass them

Those mowing the highway shoulders worry the crap out of me, seeing all the different kinds of junk thrown up on the road in areas they have already cut. If I can I will go out of my way to avoid mowing zones for that reason.

Homeowners, my problem with them is 90% of them have the discharge chute pointed toward the road. When I mow I ALWAYS point it toward the ditch so that odd rock or whatever that was not there last week does not have a chance of hitting anything.

 

[masseyrider]

Massey, it sounds like your brush hog needs safety chains to stop the rocks.
I took one in the chest one time from the guy across the street mowing with a brush hog without chains, it hit me like a golf ball.
I had a huge welt and hurt like the dickens for a while.

I have safety chains. Wouldn't cut without them. Tractor still gets hit once in a while.

 

[Gem99ultra]

If her sister was so distraught and upset, why in the hell was the woman homeless. How come the sister didn’t give her a place to stay. yeah right, family demands answers, the family was not there for the homeless woman. The family is wanting a paycheck and that’s all.

I agree, there's a lot of untold facts about that accident. The woman/lady had been sleeping during the day and that going on for 3 or 4 years?
I can see someone mowing, especially in high grass, not seeing someone lying asleep in the grass, and then running over her. That happens a lot with animals, even as large as deer.
As far as I can see, there's no basis for liability on the operator's side.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

A sad ending to an already sad story about the young woman. I'm sure the whole thing will settle out of court, which is what the "family" is after (if you can call that a family). If it was a pull behind mower, that means she was driven over first. In my mind, she must have been unconscious already. Drug addicts live a tough life that often doesn't end well.

I've hit plenty of things in the tall grass. I usually find them with the bucket on my front end loader first. But every once in a while something will get under the bucket and I'll find it with the mower. Its usually fence wire, steel cable or angle iron or T-posts laying flat on the ground (so the bucket misses them). I haven't hit a deer yet, but I'm sure it's a matter of time...

When I'm mowing along a roadway, I always mow against the flow of traffic (I'm mowing on the "oncoming" lane side). At least then my tractor is acting as somewhat of a shield to protect the oncoming cars. The FEL and bucket can act as a kind of "catcher's mit", and hopefully block anything from getting past, if it does manage to come forward under the tractor. If I see a motorcycle coming, I try to throttle down before they get to me as an added precaution.

 

[big bubba]

Those mowing the highway shoulders worry the crap out of me, seeing all the different kinds of junk thrown up on the road in areas they have already cut. If I can I will go out of my way to avoid mowing zones for that reason.

Homeowners, my problem with them is 90% of them have the discharge chute pointed toward the road. When I mow I ALWAYS point it toward the ditch so that odd rock or whatever that was not there last week does not have a chance of hitting anything.

good point, yeah, i see a lot of homeowners discharging mowed grass in copious amounts on hwy. to me that's a hazard in itself for passing traffic esp in wet cond.

 

[scootr]

good point, yeah, i see a lot of homeowners discharging mowed grass in copious amounts on hwy. to me that's a hazard in in itself for passing traffic esp in wet cond.

My neighbor does this

 

[IndyJay]

About the woman's family, sometimes you do what you can for someone who has made poor choices and that "help" can actually prevent them from getting the real help they need. I have seen where family members had to resort to tough love and say "no more, don't come around my home or my kids until you figure it out". Between stealing to support their habit, coming home plastered at all hours (with children in the home), cursing out those who are trying to help... it is often the only choice that can be made. The addict has to make the choice to turn their life around. Some people can't make that life saving decision until they hit absolute rock bottom. Sounds like she was there, she just hadn't made that next step. Sad story for all involved.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I broke back glass out of truck with lawn mower hitting a stone.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Deer? Around here, I look out the window and they run. Same with ground hogs...