Tractor Driver Badly Injury in Gloucester, VA Crash

A serious injury sustained by a longtime resident of Gloucester County, Virginia (VA) has highlighted the dangers posed driving a tractor on the highway. Andy James, a Board of Supervisors candidate, was reported to be in critical condition after the tractor he was driving was rear-ended on Route 14, the Daily Press reported.

State police said James was driving westbound when his tractor was struck by a Dodge Caravan traveling in the same direction. Mr. James was thrown out of the tractor when it overturned. In this case, the driver of the minivan was charged with reckless driving.

Typically tractors and other agricultural vehicles travel much slower than other road users. This can pose serious problems if other cars or trucks are travelling too fast. In a 2003 study of more than 1,300 farmers in North Carolina (NC), the majority of respondents said driving their tractors on rural roads was becoming more dangerous.Many respondents said they would favor a slow moving vehicle emblem or even flashing lights.

This tractor safety video highlights some of the hazards.

Farm vehicles can be a huge danger in parts of rural Virginia and North Carolina. In some cases, the driver of a tractor or other farm machinery has been at fault.

Our Virginia personal injury attorneys handled one case near Zuni, VA, where a farm truck stopped in a roadway. Under Virginia law, you are not supposed to stop in a roadway or to impede the traffic flow unless there is a good reason such as a breakdown. The farm truck also lacked flashers and slow moving vehicles signs. This led to a delivery truck to run into the back of the farm vehicle. In this case our client, who was driving the delivery truck, lost his leg.

In rural parts of Virginia, injuries involving tractors are sadly all too common. Our experienced VA personal injury attorneys recently reported on the case of Guy "Buddy" Pope Roundtree, Jr. who was killed when his tractor suddenly jumped into gear and pulled him under the machine.This sad accident at harvest time illustrates the danger in routine tasks when using farming machinery.

If you are the victim of a rear end crash you may be eligible for compensation.Our experienced Virginia personal injury attorneys represented a sailor who was injured in a 2004 crash when he was rear-ended with sufficient force to cause his head to break out the rear window of the pickup truck. He received a $75,000 jury award.

DM