Crashworthiness is the ability of farm machinery or a motor vehicle to prevent occupant injuries in the event of an accident. Among other things, crashworthiness features have been designed to minimize occupant injuries, prevent ejection from the vehicle, and prevent crushing in either rollovers or from objects falling from front-end loaders. This concept has resulted in seatbelts, airbags, padded dashboards, shatterproof windows, and collapsible steering columns in our cars. Manufacturers offarm machinery, construction equipment, and riding lawn mowers have a similar responsibility to protect occupants from these absolutely foreseeable accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of inept safety design, Colorado farm machinery accident and crashworthiness attorney John Gehlhausen can provide expert legal assistance and advise you of your right to compensation.
Depending upon the type of accident which occurs to a person in a car, be it a head-on, rear-end, or side-impact collision, or a rollover, occupants may suffer from a variety of serious injuries. Occupants may suffer from acceleration and deceleration injuries, such as whiplash or head and facial injuries if their head hits the dashboard. These safety devices are designed to protect occupants when these foreseeable accidents happen. Likewise, when farm machinery, construction equipment, or lawn equipment is adequately crashworthy it can also help prevent injuries which happen as the result of the force involved in the accident.
Crashworthiness lawsuits typically involve injuries that are sustained as a result of a vehicle or farm machinery defect. There are three types of product defects which may lead to injury: manufacturing defects, design defects, and those that involve inadequate warnings. Manufacturing defects result from a flaw during the manufacturing process. Design defect injuries occur when the vehicle is unsafe due to the manufacturer’s design, which can include lack of an adequate guard which may prevent injury in an accident. Failure to design out or guard against a hazard’s foreseeable injuries can result in a valid crashworthiness claim.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an accident involving a vehicle or farm machinery defect, contact Colorado crashworthiness attorney John Gehlhausen. He is experienced and can help persons injured by farm machinery, construction equipment, and lawn equipment across the country obtain the compensation to which they are entitled.
Although crashworthiness liability laws that determine who is responsible for defective construction equipment, farm machinery, or a vehicle vary from state to state, in most states the parties who may be held liable under proper circumstances are the vehicle/equipment manufacturer, the manufacturer of component parts, and/or the dealer. At the Law Offices of John Gehlhausen, P.C., we will identify the responsible party or parties and help you receive justice. Manufacturers, like individuals, should be responsible for their actions.
The three most common reasons for holding a party liable are breach of warranty, negligence, and strict liability. Experienced in product liability lawsuits, crashworthiness and farm machinery accident attorney John Gehlhausen will advise you about the laws that apply in your state. Contact our Colorado office today to arrange a case consultation.
Mandatory regulations on manufacturers of construction equipment, farm machinery, lawn equipment and off-road vehicles are seldom enacted due to intensive lobbying by these industries. Nevertheless, these companies are required to use reasonable care in the design of their machines, including economical and technologically possible protective devices for foreseeable uses of their machines. We know passenger cars are equipped with seatbelts, airbags, padded dashboards, shatterproof windows, and collapsible steering columns to increase driver and occupant safety when accidents happen. Similarly, construction, lawn, and farm machinery should be equipped with safety and restraint devices, including falling object protection canopies, roll bars or rollover protective systems (ROPS).
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact farm machinery accident and crashworthiness attorney, John Gehlhausen, to schedule a consultation. The Law Offices of John Gehlhausen, P.C., represent victims of lawn mower, farm machinery, and construction accidents in Colorado and across the nation.
