Local News
(AJC/Channel 2 Action News)
29-year-old Robert A. Rust, of Snellville, was killed in a tractor accident at the Smoke Rise Country Club Monday, July 28, 2014.
According to the AJC, Mr. Rust was a groundskeeper for the Smoke Rise Country Club golf course. DeKalb County authorities believe he was operating a tractor around 2:30pm, Monday afternoon, when the vehicle overturned, rolling over Mr. Rust.
DeKalb Fire Spokesman Capt. Eric Jackson told media, “It appears that he was operating a tractor with a grass blower attached to the back. It is believed he was coming down a hill when the tractor turned over.”
Tragically, Mr. Rust perished from injuries.
Our Legal Take
The tragedy has raised grave concerns over a potentially catastrophic equipment malfunction at the country club. Advocates for worker’s rights at The Murray Law Firm are questioning what factors may have lead to this horrible accident:
The CDC warns that nearly all tractor rollover fatalities may be prevented should the tractor owner install a ROPS (rollover protective structure). Did the tractor have a ROPS or automatic rollover shut-off feature? What rollover safety features were available on the tractor and how did those features fail?
DeKalb authorities note a grass blower was attached to the tractor at the time of the accident. Did the weight of the grass blower cause the tractor to rollover? Was the grass blower made for this specific tractor model? Did the country club purchase and attach a grass blower unintended for use with this model tractor? Did the manufacturer miscalculate the tractor’s ability to carry this added weight safely?
As the details of this tragedy continue to emerge, the family of Robert Rust may elect to file civil claims with the owner and manufacturer of the tractor and grass blower, should a catastrophic equipment malfunction have contributed to this accident. Additionally, as Mr. Rust was working at the time of his death, his family is almost certainly entitled to substantial workers’ compensation benefits per Georgia law. Total claims may be in the millions of dollars and will send a clearly-needed message to all tractor manufacturers and owners on the need to implement proper rollover prevention features to protect operators. Through such claims, hopefully, many other lives may be spared.
The Rust family should retain an experienced workers’ compensation and product liability firm as soon as possible to ensure all evidence is preserved and their best interests are protected. Photographs and a thorough inspection of the equipment will need to be performed immediately, before any evidence may be repaired, damaged or destroyed.
The Murray Law Firm has extensive experience in protecting victims of catastrophic work accidents, such as this, and we offer our legal expertise, if needed. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us at 404.842.1600.