The machinery without mandatory anti-rollover since 1993 continues to trap its drivers in Lleida

Nine deaths in five years in Lleida alert about tractor accidents. The victims are over 70 years old and use vehicles without roll-over protection, required since 1993. The Mossos distinguish between work accidents and cases on farms.

13 of may of 2026 at 12:13h
The machinery without mandatory anti-rollover since 1993 continues to trap its drivers in Lleida
The machinery without mandatory anti-rollover since 1993 continues to trap its drivers in Lleida

Nine people have died in tractor accidents in the Lleida regions during the last five years, after the last two deaths registered on Friday in Albesa and on Sunday in Els Omellons. The accidents reactivate a statistic that in 2024 had remained at zero cases, but which rose again with two deaths in 2025 in Miralcamp and Alpicat.

The main paradox is that a good part of these accidents affect elderly drivers and, in many cases, with vehicles that circulate without a cabin or roll bars, elements that have been mandatory since 1993. When the tractor overturns, the victim usually gets trapped under the vehicle.

The last two accidents raised the deaths to nine in five years

The balance of recent years shows an irregular evolution in the Lleida demarcation. In 2022, two tractor drivers died, in 2023 it was three, in 2024 no cases were registered, and in 2025, two fatal accidents were already recorded in Miralcamp and Alpicat before the deaths this weekend in Albesa and Els Omellons.

One of those last cases was a derailment on a road in Els Omellons. Tractor accidents are divided between traffic accidents and incidents that occur within agricultural estates.

In the last two decades, approximately 50 tractor drivers have died in the Lleida regions. The worst year in the series was 2009, when nine people died in a single year in this type of accident.

The Mossos distinguish between work accident and accidental death on a property

The classification changes depending on where the event occurs and the victim's situation. The Mossos d'Esquadra consider work accidents the events registered on farms during professional activity, while they classify them as accidental deaths when they affect retirees or people performing non-professional tasks.

In addition to the accident site, the agents focus on the profile of the victims and the condition of the vehicles. A high percentage of the deceased are over 70 years old, a circumstance that requires extreme caution when driving agricultural machinery.

The Mossos d'Esquadra recall in their prevention actions that advanced age reduces physical capabilities such as agility or reflexes. They also give periodic talks in cooperatives and agricultural organizations on technical maintenance and tractor safety.

Many of the fatal accidents registered in Lleida involve tractors without a cabin or rollover bars, two protection systems that have been mandatory since 1993.

About the author
Redacción
See biography