On July 26, 1997, a 61-year-old male farmer (victim) died of injuries sustained when the tractor he was driving rolled end-over-end and then barrel-rolled down a steep slope. The victim had gotten his tractor out of deep ruts in a field road and was driving uphill when his back tires slid over the edge of the hillside precipitating the rollover. He was working alone at the time of the incident. The tractor did not have rollover protective structures or a seat belt. The victim's sister became concerned when he did not arrive home before dusk and, along with a neighbor, searched the field in which he had been working. Upon finding the victim, they went to the victim's home and called the EMS. The EMS arrived within 27 minutes. With the approval of the sheriff's office, the EMS transported the victim to the local hospital where he was officially pronounced dead. The coroner estimated that the victim had been dead several hours before he was found and that he had died immediately after sustaining his injuries. Damage to the steering wheel and to the victim's head, neck, and chest suggest that the tractor steering wheel crushed the victim during the roll before he was ejected. The WV FACE Investigator concluded that, to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed by tractor owners: (1) Equip all tractors with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and a seat belt. (2) Evaluate environmental conditions and terrain prior to using field roads and make necessary adjustments to accommodate for them.


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    Title :

    Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for West Virginia: Farmer Dies Following a Tractor Rollover in West Virginia, FACE-97-WV-057-01


    Publication date :

    1997


    Size :

    4 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English