Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report: Part-Time Farmer Dies in Tractor Rollover, West Virginia, June 26, 1993

摘要

A 35 year old part time farmer died when a tractor rolled over on top of him. The tractor had no rollover protection system or operator restraint system. The victim began mowing the field with the tractor lights at about 9PM. As the tractor approached the top of a 45 degree bank, it overturned in a downhill direction on top of the victim. The tractor overturned a second time, then righted itself and traveled about 250 feet before coming to rest in a wooded area against a large tree. The field owner found the victim after noticing the location of the tractor lights. The victim died of head and chest crush injuries. It was thought that in the semi darkness, and with the hay chest high, the victim could not visually identify the steeply sloped bank. Recommendations included retrofitting rollover protection and operator restraint systems for older equipment, evaluating terrain before beginning any farming operations that involve the use of farm machinery, and not performing farming operations without the benefit of sufficient light.