Agriculture is the foundation of Nebraska's economy — and one of the most dangerous industries in the nation. According to federal data, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting has the highest workplace fatality rate of any industry, and Nebraska consistently ranks among the states with the most farm-related workplace deaths. Tractor rollovers, grain bin entrapments, PTO entanglements, and livestock injuries are devastating realities for Nebraska's agricultural workers.
If you were injured while working on a farm, ranch, feedlot, or in any agricultural operation in Nebraska, you may have a workers' compensation claim, a personal injury claim, or both. The legal landscape for agricultural injuries is more complex than in most industries — and the stakes are just as high. You need an attorney who understands both workers' comp law and the unique challenges of agricultural injury cases.
At Johnson Tabor & Johnson, our senior partner spent over 40 years as defense counsel for major insurance carriers. He knows how insurers handle agricultural injury claims and what tactics they use to avoid paying benefits. That experience now works for injured farm workers across Nebraska.
Workers' Comp Coverage for Agricultural Workers in Nebraska
One of the most important things agricultural workers in Nebraska need to understand is that workers' compensation coverage in agriculture is not automatic for every employer.
Important: Nebraska's Agricultural Exemption. Nebraska law provides exemptions from mandatory workers' compensation coverage for certain agricultural operations. This means some farm and ranch employers are not required to carry workers' comp insurance. However, many agricultural employers — particularly larger operations, feedlots, and agricultural processing companies — do carry coverage and are required to provide benefits when a worker is injured.
The key question is whether your employer carries workers' compensation insurance. If they do, you are entitled to full workers' comp benefits. If they don't, you may have other legal options — including a personal injury lawsuit that could actually provide broader compensation than workers' comp, including pain and suffering.
Determining your coverage status and your legal options requires a careful evaluation of your employment situation. That's exactly what we do. Contact us for a free consultation, and we'll tell you where you stand.
Common Agricultural Injuries in Nebraska
Farm and agricultural work involves some of the most hazardous conditions of any occupation. The injuries that result are often catastrophic, life-altering, or fatal. Common agricultural injuries in Nebraska include:
Equipment & Machinery Accidents
Tractor rollovers, combine accidents, PTO entanglements, auger injuries, and other heavy equipment accidents are the leading cause of agricultural fatalities and severe injuries in Nebraska.
Grain Bin Entrapment
One of agriculture's most terrifying hazards. Workers can be engulfed in flowing grain in seconds, leading to suffocation. Survivors often face crush injuries and respiratory damage.
Livestock Injuries
Kicks, crushes, trampling, and goring by cattle, horses, and hogs. Nebraska's massive cattle industry means livestock-related injuries are extremely common among ag workers.
Pesticide & Chemical Exposure
Acute poisoning and long-term health effects from exposure to pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals — including respiratory disease, skin conditions, and neurological damage.
Additional Agricultural Injuries We Handle
- Falls from farm structures, silos, and equipment
- Back and spinal injuries from heavy lifting
- Amputations from farm machinery
- Heat stroke and heat-related illness
- Electrocution from equipment contact with power lines
- Respiratory conditions from dust, mold, and grain
- ATV and farm vehicle accidents
- Burns from equipment, chemicals, or grain dryer fires
Third-Party Claims and Defective Equipment
Many agricultural injuries involve defective or poorly maintained equipment. If a tractor, combine, auger, PTO, or any other piece of farm equipment malfunctioned or was defectively designed, the manufacturer may be liable for your injuries through a product liability claim.
A third-party claim is separate from workers' compensation and can provide significantly greater compensation, including pain and suffering, full lost wages (not the capped amount under workers' comp), and punitive damages in some cases.
At Johnson Tabor & Johnson, we evaluate every agricultural injury case for both workers' compensation benefits and third-party liability. If someone other than your employer contributed to your injury — a manufacturer, a chemical supplier, a contractor — we will pursue every avenue of compensation available to you.
Our Insurance Defense Background Is Your Advantage. Our senior partner defended insurance carriers for over 40 years. We know how agricultural injury claims are evaluated on the insurance side, what defenses insurers prepare, and how they calculate what they think they can get away with paying. That insider perspective is a powerful tool when we fight for your benefits.
Benefits Available to Injured Agricultural Workers
If your employer carries workers' compensation insurance, you may be entitled to the following benefits after a farm injury:
Medical Benefits
Full coverage for all reasonable and necessary treatment — emergency care, surgeries, physical therapy, prosthetics, prescriptions, and ongoing rehabilitation.
Temporary Disability
Wage replacement while you are unable to work due to your injury, based on your average weekly wage.
Permanent Disability
Compensation for lasting impairments — amputations, chronic pain, loss of mobility, or reduced physical capacity that limits your ability to work.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Job retraining and placement assistance if your injury prevents you from returning to agricultural work.
If your employer does not carry workers' comp insurance, you may still have legal options. A personal injury lawsuit against an uninsured employer can potentially provide even broader damages than workers' compensation — including pain and suffering, which is not available under workers' comp. Contact us for a free evaluation of your case.
Representing Agricultural Workers Across Nebraska
Agriculture reaches every corner of Nebraska, and so does our practice. Johnson Tabor & Johnson represents injured agricultural workers throughout the state, including:
- Omaha — Bellevue, Papillion, Elkhorn, Millard, La Vista
- Lincoln & Lancaster County
- Grand Island & Hall County
- Kearney & Buffalo County
- Norfolk & Madison County
- Columbus & Platte County
- North Platte & Lincoln County
- Scottsbluff & the Panhandle
- Sidney & Cheyenne County
Plus Lexington, Hastings, York, McCook, Broken Bow, and all rural communities across Nebraska. Whether you work on a family farm in the Sandhills or a large feedlot operation near Grand Island, we're here to help.