Earlier this month, a tractor without appropriate nighttime lighting was driving down Louisiana Highway 1077 around 7:30 p.m. A 2002 Chevrolet four-door did not see the tractor until it was too late. According to a story at slidellsentry.com, the Chevrolet struck the back of the trailer.
Rescue workers transported the 40-year-old Chevrolet driver to a hospital in St. Tammany Parish with moderate injuries. The 57-year-old tractor driver also suffered moderate injuries in the car-tractor collision. Emergency personnel airlifted him to University Hospital in New Orleans, according to the report.
Tractors are allowed to share the roads with other vehicles, and it is a common site in rural areas. In Louisiana, tractors have to follow the rules of the road just like passenger vehicles. Louisiana law says that tractor drivers have to signal turns with their hands and arms if the tractor does not have electric blinkers. In addition, the tractor must have at least one front lamp projecting a white light and one rear lamp projecting a red light.
Are tractors on the highway common where you live? Are they easy to see even with appropriate lighting?
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans injury attorneys