Sheboygan Falls, WI — A 17-year old boy was hospitalized after injuring himself while working with a piece of farming machinery in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, on Sunday, March 1, 2015. The accident took place at a farm on Sumac Road, around 5:00 in the afternoon.
Local authorities have yet to release the name of the boy who was injured after getting caught in an auger, which is a screw elevator that can be used to move grain from the ground to a silo or a truck. The full extent of his injuries have not been disclosed.
Reports say that the boy was taken to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. No other details have been released. No other injuries were reported.
Approximate Scene of the Accident
Commentary
How this accident is handled going forward is really going to depend on who the boy is, why he was working on the farm, and what caused the accident to happen. Now, a typical workplace accident is usually going to be covered by workers’ comp. In a setting like this, I have to wonder if the boy was even an actual employee, or if he was just doing some work for someone he knew. If that’s the case, workers’ comp may not even come into play here, and the victim could potentially have a claim against the owner of the machinery and the property.
If the accident happened because there was something mechanically wrong with the auger, then it’s possible that liability for the accident may fall on its manufacturer. To be completely honest, there are so many unknowns with this accident and what’s been reported about it so far, that it’s possible that a combination of these possibilities could come into play.
— Grossman Law Offices