Each day individuals throughout the Pittsburgh area lose their lives for a variety of reasons. Some cases are due to natural causes. Others however are lost due to sudden, unexpected accidents. These fatal accidents take many different forms but often involved motor vehicles of some sort.

Earlier this week a 56-year-old Pennsylvania man died after being involved in an accident with a tractor. The man was apparently in the process of baling hay when somehow the Case 730 tractor fell on top of him, so that he was pinned underneath it. After the tractor overturned, it caught on fire. At the time of the accident he was reportedly working on his father's land.

There do not appear to have been any witnesses to the incident and it is not clear how the accident occurred. Accordingly, an investigation into the matter is being conducted by police in Greensburg along with the coroner's office.

This tragic accident could be due to many different things. As is the case in many motor vehicle accidents, it can be due to the actions of the person behind the wheel. It could also however be due to the surrounding terrain. Another possibility is that the tractor was in some way defective.

Should that latter reason be deemed to have caused the man's death, it is highly likely that a wrongful death lawsuit based in products liability could be filed against the maker of the tractor.

This type of lawsuit is appropriate when someone who is using a product in an appropriate manner is killed while using the product. Though the cases are often very complicated, when successful, they are usually worth it.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Donegal Township man dies in tractor accident," Taryn Luna, June 11, 2012