In the Summer of 2010, a male farmer in his 40s died when he was run over by a John Deer 4430 tractor to which he was adjusting the idle. The decedent was working in a barn; the north wall of the barn faced the road and the south wall faced a large cornfield. The tractor was facing south. The throttle and gear shift controls were both located on the right side of the tractor. When the operator was in the driver’s seat, the operator pushed the throttle lever forward (away from the driver) and the gear lever backwards (toward the driver). Both levers were accessible while standing on the ground, and the lever activation reversed. The decedent was standing on the ground facing the tractor on the tractor’s right side, which placed the engine area in front of him with the small front tire to his right and the large right rear tire to his left. It appears that he reached up and in an attempt to activate the throttle (pulling it toward him) he contacted the gear shift lever, pushing it back which placed the tractor into gear. Because the tractor engine was operating at a high rpm, when placed into gear, the tractor went forward at a high rate of speed. The rear tractor tires left spin marks on the concrete floor of the barn. The tractor continued out the south barn door and arced to the north, crossing the road and continuing into a field. The tractor continued its arced path of travel through the field, and then passed between two houses, crossed a north-south road, and finally came to rest against a tree approximately one-third of a mile from the barn. Several of the decedent’s family members saw the tractor traveling without the operator and investigated. Seeing the decedent on the floor, they went to the house and notified another family member, who investigated and called for emergency response. Emergency response arrived and declared the decedent dead at the scene.
Farmer Run Over by Tractor During Idle Adjustment
2011
8 pages
Report
No indication
English
Region 5 , Accident analysis , Accident potential , Accident prevention , Accidents , Injuries , Injury prevention , Traumatic injuries , Safety education , Safety practices , Safety measures , Work practices , Work performance , Farmers , Tractors , Agricultural machinery , Agricultural workers , Equipment maintenance , Machine operation , Machine operators , Machine safety , Hazard recognition