Tourism and agriculture are the two top industries in Florida. Their union gave rise to a new and prosperous industry - agritourism. It's an industry with a significant contribution to our state's economy.
On a personal note, however, it could happen that at one moment, you're working at your agritourism job, and the next minute an accident happens, and you get injured.
What we suggest is that you should be informed about the rights you have if you get injured. Read on to learn more about agritourism in Florida and your rights to file a personal injury claim if you suffered an accident caused by an agritourism operator.
Who Is Responsible for a Work Accident in Agritourism?
Think about it: in any field of activity, including in Florida's agritourism industry, accidents can and do happen. So it's no wonder that you can get injured doing agritourism work.
So what can you do when you get injured? In many cases, agritourism operators face potential liability if you - their employee - get hurt on the job or clients get injured while taking part in the activities their business provides. What's more, for these accidents, the law sets certain boundaries and regulations protecting your rights and health.
In other words, the law protects workers' rights in case of injuries caused by:
- Animals
- Equipment
- Agritourism activities
This is why regulations were necessary to establish when the operator can be held liable for negligence. It is, therefore, the operator's duty to diligently inform clients and employees of all the potential risks that may arise from participating in agritourism activities. If a warning notice was previously posted in visible locations where an incident later occurred, an operator could not be found responsible for:
- Injury
- Damage
- Death of a participant in a certain activity
However, in cases dealing with gross negligence or deliberate actions that cause damage and injuries to those who take part in agritourism activities conducted at the operator's location, the operator may be held liable.
A Few Fine Points on Florida's Agritourism Industry
The following numbers show the strong impact agriculture and tourism have on our economy. They also represent the basis of the natural development of the agritourism industry in Florida:
- Florida's landscape and natural resources mean that our state can use agritourism as a source of revenue.
- There are more than 47K farms in our state, which produce around 300 products that represent a valuable resource for the community.
- Agriculture, which is the second most prosperous industry in Florida after tourism, is a significant source of revenue that accounts for more than & $120B each year.
- Around 2M citizens in our state are employed in agriculture.
Some of the companies that provide agritourism services in Florida include:
- 12 Palms
- 31 Produce & Mining Co.
- Accipiter Enterprises
- Aunt Louise's Farm
- Bedner's Farm Fresh Market
- BerryStacks Hydroponic U-Pick Farm
- Marine Aqua Farms
- NatureWalk Ranch Boer Goats
- Sweet Blossom Alpaca Farm
- The Black Hammock
Who Can Be Sued?
If an agritourism operator employs you, and you suffered an accident due to their negligence, or a defective product or machinery that you used on the job, you may be entitled to file a personal injury claim for monetary compensation.
There are different parties that you may hold responsible for your suffering:
- The operator for failing to provide proper warning signage or due training.
- The manufacturer who produced the defective products that caused the injuries.
If you have a solid personal injury case, The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary will fight for your compensatory rights, keep in touch with you regularly and keep you informed on the outcome of our skillful legal work in your case. We're here by your side throughout the whole process of litigation. Starting with helping you understand if you have a potential claim. We do that by offering a professional, free case evaluation.