According to a July 21 report from Lawstreetmedia, CNH Industrial and 4-store East Coast New Holland dealer AG-Industrial have been sued for a tractor fire that burned down a barn.

The lawsuit from Eric Hayes alleges a faulty tractor caused a fire that burned down a barn, resulting in burns to his body after he ran inside to save horses that were stabled there.

A July 31, 2020 report from KYW on the fire describes Hayes as a "family friend" to the owners of the farm. The report states Hayes "is currently recovering from second and third-degree burns." Red Wing Farm, where the fire took place, was also named in the lawsuit as a defendant.

A New Holland tractor was delivered to Red Wing Farm in Pennsylvania on July 21, 2020, which was "inoperable and needed repairs upon arrival" and required a service call from an employee at AG-Industrial. That employee allegedly worked on the tractor but planned to return the following day to finish the repair. The tractor allegedly caught fire the next morning, burning down the barn. 

Hayes, in his complaint, accuses CNH Industrial and AG-Industrial of "carelessly and negligently distributing, supplying, installing, designing, manufacturing, modifying, and/or selling the subject Tractor and its component parts in a dangerous condition."

The filing can serve as a remind to dealers of the potential liability they face in leaving an unfinished repair overnight — a lockout procedure can help avoid these scenarios.

Click here to view the full complaint.

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