A 61-year old male farmer (victim) died from injuries sustained while apparently trying to stop a rolling tractor. On the day of the incident, the victim used a tractor and sprayer to spray thistles in his soybean fields. After he applied one tank of spray, he returned to an area near a wooden storage building. He stopped the tractor on the south end of the building to refill the sprayer tank. After he stopped the tractor engine he dismounted the tractor but did not lock the brakes or leave the manual transmission in gear. He apparently was working along the left side of the tractor, and slightly ahead of the left rear wheel when the tractor began to roll backward. After the tractor began to roll, the victim apparently tried to stop it from a position between the left rear wheel and the loader frame on the left side of the tractor. He may have stumbled as it rolled and struck the side of his head on the axle of the tractor or the loader frame fastened to the tractor axle. A short time later, the victim's wife discovered the tractor and sprayer about twenty feet from the southwest corner of the wooden storage building. She noticed her husband lying on his back underneath it with the front wheels of the tractor against his right hand and arm. She immediately returned to the house and placed a call to emergency personnel. Rescue personnel arrived shortly after they were notified, removed the victim and pronounced him dead at the scene. MN FACE investigators concluded that to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: (1) operators should set vehicle parking brakes or shift transmissions to park when vehicles are stopped; and (2) farm workers and farm family members should be trained to stay clear of and move away from all 'run away' tractors, vehicles, and machinery.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Minnesota: Farmer Dies of Injuries Sustained While Trying to Stop a Rolling Tractor
1996
4 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Environmental Health & Safety , Agricultural Equipment, Facilities, & Operations , Industrial Safety Engineering , Occupational safety and health , Accident analysis , Farmers , Fatalities , Injuries , Tractors , Equipment operators , Agricultural machinery , Cause of death , Accident prevention , Recommendations , Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation(FACE)