What happens in a lot of rollover fatalities, either car or equipment, is not that the driver is thrown totally clear of the vehicle and then rolled onto but rather partially ejected from the side window and then rolled onto. The flopping action of the vehicle tosses the occupant sideways and partly out the window. You don't know for sure exactly what happened but this from a friend that has dealt with a lot of rollovers.
Such a tragic accident.
Each accident is different. What seems to be the common theme is that it happens quicker than one expects, whether it is a tractor rolling onto its side, turning turtle, or flipping over the rear end.
Without ROPS, if the tractor turns turtle, or flips over the back, then the operator doesn't have much of a chance.
With ROPS, the question is whether the operator will fall quicker than the tractor. For a low speed flop to the side with ROPS, there likely is a point near 45° where the tractor has passed the point of no return, but still is rolling slowly, and if an operator slips and falls, they could land in a danger zone before the tractor hits the ground.
This accident appears to have been a high speed accident, and the dynamics would have changed. A modern car likely would have spun out, slid sideways, but might have stayed upright.
With the tractor, once it hit a high speed over-steer, it likely didn't want to slide sideways, and the implement may have hit the rear tire at a 90° angle and forced it to remain sideways. All causing a massive deceleration and throwing the operator into the side window, and ultimately tipping the tractor, all with unfortunate results.
