Injuries on Farms and Livestock Accidents: Understanding Your Rights

Farming Is the Backbone of the Big Country, and It Comes With Real Risk

Across Abilene and the Big Country, agriculture is daily life. From cow-calf operations and feedlots to hay fields, cotton gins, and sale barns, the work never stops. That pace, and the heavy reliance on livestock and machinery, creates a setting where injuries happen quickly and often without warning. When someone is hurt by an animal, a piece of equipment, or a hazardous condition on rural property, the first questions are usually the same: who is responsible, and what are my rights under Texas law?

This article explains how farm and livestock injuries occur, how Texas premises liability and related laws apply, and what steps you can take to protect a claim. It also describes how Low Law Firm investigates these cases for families in Abilene, Taylor County, and the surrounding Big Country.

How Farm and Livestock Injuries Happen

Livestock are powerful and unpredictable. Even well handled cattle can crowd a gate, pin a worker against a panel, or kick without warning during vaccination or loading. Horses may spook at noise or movement and throw a rider or handler. Hogs can bite or knock down a visitor who has not been warned about proper handling. When pens are overcrowded, when alleyways are too narrow, or when gates do not latch, the risk of crush injuries rises.

Facilities and grounds contribute to many incidents. Rusted panels, loose boards, broken hinges, and uneven footings cause trips and falls. Mud, algae, and manure make concrete and metal surfaces slick, especially around water troughs and wash areas. Poor lighting in barns or at early morning loadouts makes it difficult to see hazards. Inadequate fencing allows animals to break through and strike workers or guests who are standing where they believe it is safe.

Equipment is another source of harm. Power takeoff shafts pull clothing, gloves, or hair into moving parts. Augers and conveyors catch a hand or foot during maintenance. Skid steers, tractors, and UTVs tip on uneven ground or collide with pedestrians when mirrors and backup alarms do not function. When a machine lacks guards or lockout procedures, or when an owner skips inspections, small problems become serious injuries.

Not every person on a farm is an employee. Families bring children to see newborn calves. Churches plan fall events. Photographers use barns and pastures as backdrops. Agritourism is part of rural life, and with it comes a duty to warn guests about conditions they cannot see for themselves and to fix hazards that are likely to cause harm.

Who Can Be Liable in Texas

Responsibility in a farm or livestock case depends on which party created or controlled the hazard. A property owner can be liable when a dangerous condition on the land causes injury and the owner knew or should have known about it yet failed to repair or warn. An employer can be liable for failing to train workers, failing to provide safe tools and equipment, or ignoring basic safety procedures. A contractor may share responsibility if it controlled a task or work area and created the danger. A manufacturer may be responsible when defective farm machinery injures a user during normal operation.

The status of the injured person matters under premises liability. An invitee, such as a worker, vendor, or paying guest, is owed a duty of reasonable care that includes inspection and repair of hazards and adequate warnings. A licensee, such as a social guest, is also owed a duty to be warned of known dangers that are not obvious. These are fact questions that depend on how and why the person came to be on the property, and they shape the legal analysis in a Big Country injury case.

Texas Farm Animal Liability Act: What It Does and What It Does Not

Texas has a statute commonly referred to as the Farm Animal Liability Act. It recognizes that activities involving farm animals carry inherent risks and can, in some situations, limit a property owner’s liability. That does not end the conversation. Important exceptions apply. If an owner provides faulty tack or equipment, fails to make reasonable efforts to determine a participant’s ability, fails to warn of a known dangerous condition on the property, or behaves in a way a jury would consider negligent, liability may still attach. Each event must be examined on its facts to decide whether the statute applies and whether an exception fits. You can review the statutes that govern these issues at statutes.capitol.texas.gov.

Workers, Family Members, Vendors, and Visitors

Injury scenarios on farms often involve more than one legal framework. A full time ranch hand may have rights as an employee. A seasonal worker may be classified as a contractor. A feed delivery driver is a business invitee. A family member helping for the weekend may be a licensee. These categories matter because the duties owed and the available claims differ.

Texas workers’ compensation rules are unique. Many agricultural employers do not carry traditional workers’ compensation coverage. Some are nonsubscribers, which can open the door to negligence claims in civil court. Others may purchase voluntary policies with different terms. Because the choices an employer makes on coverage directly affect the type of claim an injured worker can bring, one of the first tasks in any case is to identify the coverage posture and the correct defendant. General information about workers’ compensation in Texas is available at tdi.texas.gov.

Vendors and visitors have different rights. A seed dealer making deliveries, a veterinarian treating animals, or a truck driver loading out cattle did not create the conditions on the property and can expect basic safety. If a defect or a dangerous practice causes an injury, a premises claim may be available. When children are invited for a school tour or fall festival, special care is needed because young visitors do not appreciate risks the way adults do.

Common Injuries in West Texas Farm Cases

The injuries we see after farm and ranch incidents are serious. A kick or crush from cattle often results in fractured ribs, shoulder dislocations, and internal injuries that do not appear immediately. Falls from horses lead to concussions and spinal trauma. PTO entanglements cause deep lacerations and amputations. Tractors and UTVs that overturn on inclines produce pelvic and leg fractures that require surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Respiratory injuries occur when dust or chemicals are present in enclosed barns with poor ventilation. The medical path is long and expensive, and it is important to document treatment from the first emergency visit through physical therapy and follow up care.

What To Do After a Farm or Livestock Injury

Your health comes first. Seek medical care immediately, even if the pain seems manageable at the scene. Internal injuries and head trauma often worsen after adrenaline fades. Early care also creates a medical record that connects the injury to the event.

Notify the owner or employer as soon as you can and ask that the incident be documented. If able, photograph the location, the equipment involved, and any defect such as a broken latch, a missing guard, or a slick surface. Save the clothing and boots you wore, since they may carry residue that helps explain how a slip occurred. Identify anyone who witnessed the incident and gather basic contact information. Avoid giving a recorded statement to an insurance company before you have spoken with an attorney who can advise you about your rights in Texas. General information about Texas court processes can be found at txcourts.gov, and statewide resources for consumers are collected at texas.gov.

How Low Law Firm Builds These Cases

Farm and livestock claims require fast action and careful investigation. At Low Law Firm, we begin by sending preservation letters so critical evidence is not moved or destroyed. We visit the scene when possible, measure surfaces and slopes, and document lighting and sight lines. Maintenance records, training logs, and safety policies are requested and reviewed to determine whether owners and employers followed their own rules and industry standards.

When equipment is involved, we work with mechanical and agricultural engineering experts to evaluate guards, shields, and emergency shutoffs. We consult animal behavior specialists when questions arise about handling practices or pen design. If federal safety guidance is relevant, we compare the facts to published materials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at osha.gov. We also build the medical side of the case, gathering records and speaking with treating providers to explain the full impact of the injuries on work and daily life.

Most cases involve multiple insurance carriers and complex coverage questions. Our team manages those communications so you do not have to. When appropriate, we pursue negotiation with a demand package that presents liability, medical damages, wage loss, and future care needs in a clear way. If a fair result is not available through settlement, we file suit and litigate, using depositions and motions practice to position the case for trial. You can learn more about the civil process and professional standards at texasbar.com.

Deadlines and Early Action

Texas law places strict time limits on personal injury claims. The general statute of limitations for negligence claims is two years from the date of injury, although different rules and shorter notice requirements can apply when a governmental entity owns or controls the property. Because evidence on farms changes quickly and memories fade, early action protects your claim and improves results. When you contact counsel promptly, your attorney can secure photographs, equipment, and records before they are lost and can guide you on medical documentation and bills from the start.

Serving Abilene and the Big Country

Low Law Firm represents injured clients across Taylor, Jones, Callahan, Nolan, Brown, Shackelford, Coleman, and surrounding counties. We understand the pace of agricultural work and the realities of ranching and crop operations in West Texas. Whether your injury happened at a sale barn on a busy weekend, during a pre-dawn loadout on a county road, or while repairing a gate on the back forty, our team knows how to translate those facts into a strong legal claim.

Talk With Low Law Firm

If you or someone you love suffered a farm or livestock injury in Abilene or anywhere in the Big Country, you do not have to navigate the process alone. Reach out to Low Law Firm to discuss what happened, who may be responsible, and the next steps to protect your rights and recover what you need to move forward. For questions about Texas statutes, you can review statutes.capitol.texas.gov, and for general court information, visit txcourts.gov. When you are ready to speak with a lawyer, contact us through our website at lowlawfirm.com/contact.